Romance novels offer an unmatched archive for the study of men and masculinity. Mens and Masculinity Studies offers a nuanced discourse for the analysis of heterosexual and m/m romance novels. Why have these two never met? Jonathan Allan makes the matchand sparks fly. Useful to scholars in many fields, this is a thoughtful, provocative exploration of gender and popular culture.
Eric Selinger, Professor of English at De Paul University; Executive Editor of the Journal of Popular Romance Studies
The alpha male hero strides through the pages of popular romance. Allans valuable new book turns the attention of the critical study of men and masculinities to the romance genre, to unpack hegemonic masculinity. The book bridges fields marvelously to create a much-needed interdisciplinary dialogue. An original and provocative read!
Catherine M. Roach, Professor of Gender and Cultural Studies, The University of Alabama; author of Happily Ever After: The Romance Story in Popular Culture
In this book, Jonathan Allan once again disrupts and challenges conventional understanding and provides a unique approach to masculinity, love and romance. Using arousing representations of men and masculinity as his intellectual point of departure, this book expertly jostles the reader to resolve the contradiction and complexity embedded in the desire for traditional masculinity.
Chris Haywood, Reader in Critical Masculinity Studies, Newcastle University; author of Men, Masculinity and Contemporary Dating
In this timely and provocative work, Allan challenges how we conceptualise and understand masculinity, bodies, sex, and the erotic through an untapped exploration of the contemporary romance novel. Drawing from a range of disciplines including literary studies, sociology, gender studies, and queer and psycho-analytical traditions among others, Allan incites the reader to rethink the overwhelming negative soundbite of the hegemonic male and muscular male body. He instead invites us to consider the ways in which such fantasies of masculinity can be understood as pleasurable, coveted, and desirable. Men, Masculinity and Popular Romance provides a unique and rare look at the intersection of desire, romance and erotics vis--vis the heros body, and an enlightening contribution to the critical study of men and masculinities more broadly.
Andrea Waling, Research Fellow in Gender, Sociology & Sexuality, La Trobe University; author of White Masculinity in Contemporary Australia:The Good Ol Aussie Bloke
Despite the continued economic success of the genre in our post Fifty Shades world, the romance novel remains a neglected site of interest for masculinity studies. No longer. Allan asks us to think seriously and critically about romance novels and what they can tell us about how we see both masculinity and the male body. Throughout the course of this timely volume, Allan provides a bold and engaging answer to Illouzs question why is traditional masculinity pleasurable in fantasy? Written with humour and insight, this book is a must for anyone interested in men in romance and female-authored masculinity.
Lucy Neville, Lecturer in Criminology, University of Leicester; author of Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys: Women and Gay Male Pornography and Erotica
MEN, MASCULINITIES, AND POPULAR ROMANCE
Men, Masculinities, and Popular Romance seeks to open a lively and accessible discussion between critical studies of men and masculinities and popular romance studies, especially its continued interest in what Janice Radway has called the purity of his maleness.
Popular romance novels, perhaps more than any other genre, explore sexuality and gender, creating an ideal space in which to consider and explore theoretical models that think seriously about gender. The romance novel has long been criticised and celebrated by feminist critics. How can these novels maintain, according to some, feminist ideals while also upholding what Raewyn Connell has long theorised as hegemonic masculinity?
This volume is an original and important contribution examining the previously under-examined nexus of masculinity and popular romance studies. It will be of key interest to undergraduates and postgraduates in Masculinities, Gender and Womens Studies, and Literary Studies, and highly relevant to courses in Masculinity Studies, Pop Culture Studies, Queer Studies and Sexuality Studies.
Jonathan A. Allan is Canada Research Chair in Men and Masculinities and Professor at Brandon University. He teaches in the Department of English and Creative Writing and Gender and Womens Studies. He is the author of Reading from Behind: A Cultural Analysis of the Anus and a co-editor of Virgin Envy: The Cultural (In)Significance of the Hymen.
MASCULINITY, SEX AND POPULAR CULTURE
Series Editors: John Mercer and Clarissa Smith
Books in the Masculinity, Sex and Popular Culture series promote high quality research that is positioned at the nexus of masculinity, sex and popular culture. The series brings a media and cultural studies approach to the analysis of contemporary manifestations of masculinity in popular culture. It includes titles that focus on the connections between masculinities and popular culture that extend out from media cultures to examining practices focusing on forms of participatory action in public spaces (such as bodybuilding and Lad culture), and in more traditionally private arenas of sexual practice acknowledging that cultures of exhibitionism and display and the distinctions between the public and the private are increasingly important considerations in the digital age.
Men, Masculinities, and Popular Romance
Jonathan A. Allan
First published 2020
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
2020 Jonathan A. Allan
The right of Jonathan A. Allan to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Allan, Jonathan A., 1983- author.
Title: Men, masculinities, and popular romance / Jonathan A Allan.
Description: New York : Routledge, 2020. |
Series: Masculinity, sex and popular culture | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
Identifiers: LCCN 2019027907 (print) | LCCN 2019027908 (ebook) | ISBN 9780815374053 (hardback) | ISBN 9780815374077 (paperback) | ISBN 9781351240024 (ebook) | ISBN 9781351240017 (adobe pdf) | ISBN 9781351240000 (epub) | ISBN 9781351239998 (mobi)
Subjects: LCSH: Romance fiction, American--20th century--History and criticism. | Romance fiction, American--21st century--History and criticism. | Love in literature. | Masculinity in literature. | Men in literature. | Gay men in literature. | Sex in literature. | Sex role in literature. | Women--Books and reading.
