Detoxing Masculinity in Anglophone Literature and Culture

“A most timely contribution to Masculinity Studies. While most studies focus on notions of toxic masculinity, this collection adopts a refreshing approach to the subject by questioning hegemonic masculinity and by offering distinct possibilities of being a man in contemporary society. A must-read for anyone interested in changing masculinities and gender relations.”
—Josep M. Armengol,  Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

“Is masculinity still in crisis? In this colourful, erudite anthology many of the most eminent masculinity scholars use their richly diverse literary knowledge to answer this question. Their goal is to find ways of finally ridding society of continuing expressions of toxic masculinities.  A necessary tonic for our times.”

—Lynne Segal, University of London, UK

This edited volume rethinks Masculinity Studies by breaking away from the notion of the perpetual crisis of masculinity. It argues that not enough has beendone to distinguish patriarchy from masculinity and proposes to detox masculinity by offering a collection of positive representations of men in fictional and non-fictional texts. The editors show how ideas of hegemonic and toxic masculinity have been too fixed on the exploration of dominance and subservience, and too little on the men (and the male characters in fiction) who behave following other ethical, personal and socially accepted patterns. Bringing together research from different periods and genres, this collection provides broad, multidisciplinary insights into alternative representations of masculinity.

Sara Martín is Senior Lecturer in English Literature and Cultural Studies at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain. Among her books are Masculinity and Patriarchal Villainy in British Fiction: From Hitler to Voldemort (2019) and Representations of Masculinity in Literature and Film: Focus on Men (2020). 


M. Isabel Santaulària is Senior Lecturer at the Department of English and Linguistics, Universitat de Lleida, Spain. She has published a book on serial killer fiction, El monstruo humano: Una introducción a la ficción de los asesinos en serie (2009), and numerous articles in national and international journals.