Manly Traditions: The Folk Roots of American Masculinities - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0253217814 ISBN 13: 9780253217813

Publisher: Indiana University Press, 2005

Synopsis

Take this test. You think today’s sensitive, caring man is: (a) a myth, (b) an oxymoron, or (c) a moron. No matter whether you laugh at this bit of folk humor, its wide circulation bespeaks a modern predicament for American men.

Men’s "manly" traditions have been shaken in an age of "sensitivity." Some observers have even referred to a crisis of masculinity for a new generation of boys. In Manly Traditions, established scholars in the fields of folklore, men’s studies, and gender studies identify the folkloric roots of what it means to be a man in America. In a lively volume they examine the traditions men inherit and adapt for their own purposes in contemporary life.

About this title

About the Author:

Simon J. Bronner is Distinguished University Professor of American Studies and Folklore at Pennsylvania State University, Harrisburg. The author of more than a dozen books, he lives in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Review:

Author of several studies of American folklore (e.g., Folk Nation: Folklore in the Creation of American Tradition, CH, Mar'03, 40―4184, and Piled Higher and Deeper: The Folklore of Campus Life, 1990), Bronner (Pennsylvania State Univ., Harrisburg) here brings together a diverse and engaging collection on the contemporary American male experience. Divided into two sections, Manly Displays and Performances and Manly Expressions and Texts, the 12 essays offer case studies that, taken together, explore the wide range of culturally sanctioned masculine behavior at the dawn of the 21st century. Of particular interest are the lucid and thorough essays on African American stepping, Latino culture in South Texas, Japanese American manliness, and gay men's performances in public club scenes. In the introductory essay, Menfolk, Bronner provides a cogent, well-researched analysis of how men behave in groups, and this essay alone is well worth the price of admission. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty.―W. Edwards, Longwood University (Choice(for internal use only until 9/1/06))

About this edition

• Publisher: Indiana University Press
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0253217814
• ISBN 13: 9780253217813
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 416
• Editor: Bronner Simon J.