Dismembering the Male: Mens Bodies, Britain and the Great War Pb

(Paperback)

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It has been contended that femininity was "disrupted, constructed and reconstructed" during World War I, but what happened to masculinity Using the evidence of letters, diaries and oral histories of members of the military and of civilians, this book explores the impact of the Great War on the male body. Each chapter offers a detailed examination of a different facet of the war and masculinity, comparing attitudes towards those who were dismembered and disabled by the war with attitudes towards those suffering from diseases such as shell-shock. Joanne Bourke concludes that, although the absence of women encouraged male intimacy, differences of class, religion and ethnicity, together with the constant threat of death, acted as barriers to closeness. Bourke argues that military experiences led to a greater sharing of gender identities between men of different classes and ages, and that, ultimately, attempts to reconstruct a new type of masculinity failed as the threat of another war - and with it the sacrifice of a new generation of men - intensified.

Reviews

Bourke evokes a real tenderness and understanding for the men who were pushed to breaking point and beyond ... in a book well illustrated with contemporary photographs and sketches from men's letters and diaries ... a fine work Times Higher Education Supplement cogent insights into wartime experience Independent on Sunday stunning The Observer

Author Bio

Joanna Bourke is Professor in the School of History, Classics and Archaeology at Birkbeck, University of London