What does it mean to be a man in today's society? Kord and Krimmer investigate the most common male archetypes - cops, killers, cowboys, superheroes, soldiers, lovers, and losers - by tracing changing concepts of masculinity in popular Hollywood blockbusters from 1992 to 2008 against a backdrop of politics, social developments, and American myths.
Author Susanne Kord: Susanne Kord is Professor of German, Comparative Literature, and Film Studies at University College London, UK.Author Elisabeth Krimmer: Elisabeth Krimmer is Professor of German, Performance Studies, and Cultural Studies at the University of California, Davis, USA.
PART I: MEN IN TROUBLE Lawlessness and Disorder: Cops and Other Serial Killers Fathers, Crises, and Nations Cowboys, Myths and Audiences PART II: REAL MEN? Superheroes, Leadership, and the War on Terror Spies, Paranoia, and Torture Soldiers from World War II to Iraq PART III: NEW MEN? Rogues, Race, and Hegemony Lovers: Men, Women, and Gender Equality Losers, Meritocracy, and Identification
A CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title for 2012! "An interesting work on the intersection of genre and masculinity in modern American film... Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above." - CHOICE "This terrific book will be sure to provoke welcome and lively debate. Skillfully and ambitiously argued, both comprehensive and astutely attentive to the smallest telling detail, and as fair-minded toward its subject as it is rigorously probing, Contemporary Hollywood Masculinities is a valuable contribution to an emergent field. I have no doubt that it will quickly prove to be required reading." - David Greven, associate professor, Department of Literatures in English, Connecticut College and author of Manhood in Hollywood from Bush to Bush and Representations of Femininity in American Genre Cinema