The 1990s has witnessed a groundswell of interest in men and masculinity. The book
market saw countless publications, the media took up the topic and discussions
about the 'nineties man' became and still are very much en vogue (even though we
are on the brink of the next millennium).
Parallel to public interest there was also an increase in academic writing. Numerous
sociological and psychological studies endeavoured to explore the roots of
masculinity and examined the mechanisms of its functions in cultures depending of
various kinds of gender division. They concluded that masculinity has no fixed
concept, that masculinity is not just what a group of men happen to do. Rather it has
to be understood in relation to the gender role as a social practice negotiated by men
and understood in relation to the gender order. So one should instead speak of
‘masculinities’ if one wants to grasp the different representations of maleness in
society.
Feminists and multiculturalists have repeatedly criticised the dominant gender
position of men in society and questioned the legitimacy for patriarchy. They asked
for a ‘new man’, a new social understanding of male values and attitudes and asked
for change. Since the mid-1970s men responded to the call for change, explored
aspects of men’s lives and started to question whether the traditional concept (a
concept that is still very much practised by men throughout the Western world) of
male domination is still irreproachable. This, however, also sparked off a crisis,
indeed a dilemma because many men felt that, without a fixed basis to define
themselves they lost their bearings. Bearing this in mind it is an interesting question
to ask in what way men represent men so the task of my thesis is to find out what
kind of men are presented in Alan HOLLINGHURST's The Swimming Pool Library,
Irvine WELSH's Trainspotting and Nick HORNBY's High Fidelity and what
relationships to other men and women the authors form.
I chose this combination of novels and authors for a number of reasons. The novels
are all contemporary works of fiction, in a publicational time span from 1988-1995,
making them fictional works written at the peak of masculinity research and the social
questioning of masculine concepts. Male characters and their authors come from different social backgrounds and thus promise interesting aspects, which take power,
class and sexual orientation into consideration.
[...]
Table of Contents
I Introduction
II Theoretical Approaches to Masculinity
II.1 Constructing Gender - Constructing Masculinity
II.2 Connell's Concept of Masculinities: Hegemony, Subordination, Complicity and Marginalisation
II.2.1 Hegemony
II.2.2 Oppression and Subordination
II.2.3 Complicity
II.2.4 Marginalisation
II.3 Psychoanalytic Perspective
II.4 A Role Perspective on Men
II.5 A Social Relations Perspective on Men
II.6 Cultural Ideals of Masculinity
III The Novels
III.1 Alan HOLLINGHURST - The Swimming-Pool Library
III.1.1 Main Homosexual Characters and Their Presentation
III.1.2 Minor Homosexual Characters and Their Presentation
III.1.3 All-Male Environments
III.1.4 Presentation of Heterosexual Male Society
III.1.5 The Portrayal of Racial Minorities
III.1.6 Masculinity and Femininity
III.1.7 Summary
III.2 Nick HORNBY - High Fidelity
III.2.1 Rob Fleming
III.2.2 Heterosexual Desire
III.2.3 Blasts From the Past - Masculine Journey Back in Time
III.2.4 Male Relationships
III.2.5 Summary
III.3 Irvine WELSH - Trainspotting
III.3.1 Working Class in Trainspotting
III.3.2 Male Protagonists
III.3.3 Male Relationships
III.3.4 Changed Masculinity - Drugs and Their Effects
III.3.5 WELSH and the Feminine Role
III.3.6 Youth Culture and Masculinity
III.3.7 The Older Generation
III.3.8 Scottishness
III.3.9 Masculinity and Language
III.3.10 Summary
IV Construction of Stereotypes by the Authors Looking at Their Own Background/Sexuality
V Conclusion
Objectives and Research Focus
This thesis investigates the representation of men and various forms of masculinity in contemporary British fiction, specifically examining Alan Hollinghurst's The Swimming-Pool Library, Nick Hornby's High Fidelity, and Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting, to understand how these authors construct male identities in relation to the prevailing gender order.
- Analysis of masculinity as a socially constructed and negotiated practice.
- Application of Robert Connell's theory of gender power structures to fictional characters.
- Examination of the interplay between class, sexual orientation, and social marginalization.
- Investigation into how the authors' own backgrounds and sexualities influence their portrayal of male stereotypes.
Excerpt from the Book
III.1.1.1 William Beckwith
HOLLINGHURST's main character and, undoubtedly the hero of TSPL, William Beckwith, is a 25-year-old, sexually very active male, with an aristocratic background, who loiters and passes the time without having a goal in his life. HOLLINGHURST underlines how William in 1983 passes his days enjoying London’s gay life, picking up men (“I was riding high on sex and self-esteem – it was my time, my belle époque”) and working his male body in the swimming pool in the basement of the Corinthian Club (the Corry) - an all-male environment.
The character, Will Beckwith, is described as a figure without much power of direction, even though he comes from an upper-class background, with its education and wealth. These are his credentials and the fact that he is portrayed as being extremely attractive (he knows that other homosexual men find him beautiful and sexually arousing and that makes him rather 'cocksure') and sporty make him self-confident to the point of certain self-importance. But this energy concerning the self is not used in a productive fashion. Instead, Will has become a loiterer (“doing nothing... kept me busy enough”). Through his aristocratic background he has already inherited his part of his grandfather's fortune, thus making him financially independent.
Summary of Chapters
I Introduction: This chapter contextualizes the 1990s focus on masculinity and outlines the research objective to analyze male representations in the chosen novels.
II Theoretical Approaches to Masculinity: Provides the analytical framework, primarily utilizing Connell's gender power models, psychoanalytic, and sociological perspectives.
III The Novels: The core analytical section where the theoretical framework is applied to dissect the specific male representations in Hollinghurst, Hornby, and Welsh.
IV Construction of Stereotypes by the Authors Looking at Their Own Background/Sexuality: Examines how the personal backgrounds of the authors shape their fictional construction of male identity.
V Conclusion: Synthesizes the findings, confirming that while portrayals vary, all protagonists exist in a state of marginalization relative to hegemonic masculinity.
Keywords
Masculinity, Gender Order, Connell, Homosexuality, Heterosexuality, Working-class, Identity, Loitering, Patriarchy, Stereotypes, Social Construction, Power Structures, British Literature, 1990s, Subculture
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this work?
The research examines the depiction of men and male relationships in three contemporary British novels, analyzing how different forms of masculinity are constructed in relation to social power structures.
Which theoretical approach is used to analyze masculinity?
The work primarily relies on the sociological framework provided by Robert Connell, focusing on concepts such as hegemony, subordination, complicity, and marginalization.
Who are the authors analyzed in this thesis?
The study analyzes Alan Hollinghurst's The Swimming-Pool Library, Nick Hornby's High Fidelity, and Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting.
What is the role of sexuality in these representations?
Sexuality is identified as a central defining component of masculinity for the characters, functioning either as a source of power, a site of struggle, or a means of expressing rebellion against social norms.
What defines the social status of the protagonists?
The protagonists are generally characterized by their status as loiterers—figures who exist on the margins of professional, success-oriented society and who frequently reject traditional patriarchal responsibilities.
How does social class influence the masculine identity of the characters?
Class plays a significant role in determining the characters' power. Characters from working-class backgrounds often define their masculinity through embodied activities like fighting, drinking, and sports, while the aristocratic characters navigate different, yet equally marginalized, social positions.
How does the author characterize Mark Renton's rejection of society?
Mark Renton is viewed as an anti-hero who rejects the consumerist and success-oriented life paths offered by Thatcherite Britain, choosing instead a life of independence and rebellion, even at the cost of his own marginalization.
Why are women largely absent or negatively portrayed in these works?
The analysis notes that in the chosen novels, women are often excluded because the authors center their focus on homosocial and male-bonding environments, where female influence is either seen as secondary or as a threat to the male self-definition.
- Citation du texte
- Symon Nicklas (Auteur), 1999, Men and Masculinity. The Presentation of Men and Male Relationships in Three Contemporary British Novels, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/12581
