THE REPRESENTATION OF MASCULINITY IN JULIAN BARNES’ ARTHUR & GEORGE, THE NOISE OF TIME, AND THE MAN IN THE RED COAT

Date

2024-2

Author

Javanmard, Raziyeh

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This thesis explores the representation of masculinity as a sociocultural phenomenon in three of Julian Barnes’ biographical works of fiction, namely Arthur & George (2005), The Noise of Time (2016), and The Man in the Red Coat (2019), which all develop a critical attitude towards essentialist views on maleness and adopt intersectional perspectives on sexuality and gender. Each of the three selected biographical novels involves famous historical male figure(s) from the late 19th and/ or the early 20th centuries – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) in Arthur & George, Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich (1906-1975) in The Noise of Time, and Dr. Samuel Jean Pozzi (1846-1918) in The Man in the Red Coat – and the novels incorporate incidents adapted from the real life stories of these historical figures in their characterization, setting and plot. By focusing on how Barnes fictionalizes and manipulates the factual life stories of these well-known male figures, the present study investigates the ways these three works challenge the common understanding of hegemonic masculinity in the context of the post-industrial era, in England, Russia and France. It explores the ways in which these works promote multiplicity and mutuality in masculinization, and it focuses on how these novels undermine the flawed assumptions on “authentic” masculinity, in order to extend the definition of manhood to incorporate connection and performativity. This research concludes that, as suggested by these novels, official discourses cannot stabilize the category of masculinity, or develop a homogenous notion of maleness.

Subject Keywords

Hegemonic masculinity, problem of masculinity, post-industrialism in England, Russia and France, Julian Barnes

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/108875

Collections

Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis