Men on the margin: onscreen outsiders and American masculinity

Phillips, Andrew John

Men on the margin: onscreen outsiders and American masculinity

Master Thesis

2015

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

Centre for Film and Media Studies

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Abstract

The central purpose of this thesis is to examine ideas of solitude and alienation as they relate to the masculine identity of men - particularly American men as represented in Hollywood films. The subjects include several outsider characters from history and fiction, which are divided into two primary categories: those men who have rejected society and sought solitude for themselves, especially in nature; and those who have been rejected by society, who find themselves on the relative margins of the patriarchal society they expected to embrace them. There is one question at the core of this exploration: If masculine identity is socially determined in accordance with strict normative values, what then of the outsider, who has ostensibly rejected, or been rejected by, society and is in many ways no longer subject to its rules? After a general introduction to psychological and philosophical notions of solitude and alienation, I use the first chapter to develop a theoretical framework for discussing hegemonic American masculinity, which is potently represented on screen by the Hollywood film industry to both reflect and inform the society that funds it.

Description

Includes bibliography.

Keywords

Film

Reference:

Collections

Masters

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