Women Writing Men: 1689-1869

As men have written women so women have always written men. Debate about how men have represented women in literature has a long and distinguished history; however there has been much less examination of the ways in which women writers depict male characters. This is clearly a notable absence given the recent rise in interest in the field of 18th and 19th century masculinities. This book explores how women writers create and question men and masculinity. Women writers were in a unique position to be able to deconstruct and examine cultural norms from a position away from the centre. This enabled women to ‘look aslant’ at masculinity using their female gaze to expose the ruptures and cracks inherent within the rigid formation of the manly ideal. This collection focuses on women’s representations of men and masculinity as they negotiate issues of class, gender, race, and sexuality