Act Like A Man, Challenging Masculinities in American Drama, Challenging Masculinities in American Drama

Author

Vorlicky, Robert ; Vorlicky, Robert

Year

1995

Publisher

University of Michigan Press

Language

English

Pages

Link

Last Update

14-Apr-2026

Keywords

Gender Studies

Description

This book is about the power that is exercised by, contested by, and occasionally shared by American men. The canon of realist male-cast drama does not merely illustrate and display such power; by repeatedly staging it, this drama transforms it into an active and crucial component of American cultural politics. Thus, American male-cast drama affords a unique perspective on the mutual determinations of dramaturgy and culture, particularly on the relationship of realism to changing gender codes. Precisely because of the absence of women from its otherwise realistic context, the male-cast play embodies a striking, double-edged politics. On the one hand,...