Key Word: Emasculation / Repression Monday, 26 August 2019 Title: Masculinity LO: To understand the connection between the themes of “manliness” and “madness” by exploring the presentation of masculinity in the novel Key Word: Emasculation / Repression STARTER: What does it mean to be masculine?

Masculine?

Masculine?

characteristics considered typical of or appropriate to a man Masculinity characteristics considered typical of or appropriate to a man

TASK Positive Words Negative Words

Emotional repression is the essence of manliness Do you agree with this statement?

Masculinity on the Novel The idea of a loss of masculinity runs throughout the novel. Anderson has dreams where he wears female corsets; Rivers contemplates the feminine qualities needed for his caring profession. Sassoon describes a male soldier who loses his genitals in a war accident and also contemplates the idea of an "intermediate sex"; the boundaries between the two traditional genders are becoming increasingly blurred as soldiers begin to lose the qualities which are, for them, essential in their identity as 'men'. Rivers also remarks on the fact that soldiers serving in the trenches – confined, powerless, forced to do nothing for long stretches despite intense stress – suffer similar symptoms as do women during peace-time. The fact that some of the women in the novel now work in factories also shows the blurring of gender lines; this would never have occurred before the war.

Homosexuality Love between men is another theme explored. Homosexuality is an implied, but not overt theme in the novel. In war the bond between men is a desired quality, and Sassoon is commended for the love that he shows towards his fellow men. However, Rivers makes it clear to Sassoon that outside of the war his homosexuality is considered unacceptable to much of society and could be used to discredit his views on the war. Rivers suggests that people's views may be more intolerant in wartime than peacetime. Homosexuals, like shell-shock victims, are outside the boundaries of normal social interaction.

Finding the Evidence Read the two notes sheets and find textual evidence to support the points made.

Masculinity 1 – HI GUIZ 2 - A Northern accent, not ungrammatical”-pg49 “A little, spitting, sharp-boned alley cat”pg 49 3 – “oh, pull the other one”–“look, Robert” pg 6 “A little, spitting, sharp-boned alley cat.” pg 11 4 – “Go on, shift” pg 126 5 – pg67: “I don’t pay” / pg66: He encounters snobbery. 6 - 7 -

Homosexuality 8 - 9 - 10 – “Frightened? You? You’re not frightened” 11 -

The novel explores how war emasculates men. Consider the Wider Novel… Assign each number to one or more of these wider ideas…. The novel explores how war emasculates men. The novel explores the historical response to homosexuality during WW1. Barker presents Rivers as a “father figure” who can gains great trust from the patients. The themes of “madness” and “manliness” intertwine in the novel as Barker associates both with ideas of repression.