<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">From its onset, the Gothic has attempted to challenge established norms and conventions, either for sensational effects or to question their homogenizing and reductive tendencies. The questioning or reinforcing of received notions of femininity in Gothic fiction has been much debated by critics, with the concept of masculinity coming second. The present paper discusses normative masculinity as it was perceived in the 19th century and how E.T.A. Hoffmann, Edgar Allan Poe and Guy de Maupassant challenge its validity by creating male characters who adopt a hysterical, almost feminine voice, contesting the belief that hysteria was a “female malady”. The characters expose their unconventional masculinity, which resists the model of the ‘ganzer Mann’ in Germany, ‘marketplace man’ in US and the ‘conjugal heterosexual’ in France.</abstract>

From its onset, the Gothic has attempted to challenge established norms and conventions, either for sensational effects or to question their homogenizing and reductive tendencies. The questioning or reinforcing of received notions of femininity in Gothic fiction has been much debated by critics, with the concept of masculinity coming second. The present paper discusses normative masculinity as it was perceived in the 19th century and how E.T.A. Hoffmann, Edgar Allan Poe and Guy de Maupassant challenge its validity by creating male characters who adopt a hysterical, almost feminine voice, contesting the belief that hysteria was a “female malady”. The characters expose their unconventional masculinity, which resists the model of the ‘ganzer Mann’ in Germany, ‘marketplace man’ in US and the ‘conjugal heterosexual’ in France.

Hysteria as Alternative Masculinity in the Gothic Discourse of the 19th Century: The Case of E.T.A. Hoffmann, Edgar Allan Poe and Guy De Maupassant

Gender Studies

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Hysteria as Alternative Masculinity in the Gothic Discourse of the 19 Century: The Case of E.T.A. Hoffmann, Edgar Allan Poe and Guy De Maupassant

From its onset, the Gothic has attempted to challenge established norms and conventions, either for sensational effects or to question their homogenizing and...

Hysteria as Alternative Masculinity in the Gothic Discourse of the 19^th Century: The Case of E.T.A. Hoffmann, Edgar Allan Poe and Guy De Maupassant

Published Online: Dec 31, 2020

Page range: 29 - 50

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/genst-2021-0003

Keywords
male hysteria, Gothic fiction, normative masculinity, alternative masculinity, E.T.A. Hoffmann, Edgar Allan Poe, Guy de Maupassant

© 2020 Ana Cristina Băniceru, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Hysteria as Alternative Masculinity in the Gothic Discourse of the 19th Century: The Case of E.T.A. Hoffmann, Edgar Allan Poe and Guy De Maupassant

Published Online: Dec 31, 2020

Page range: 29 - 50

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/genst-2021-0003

Keywordsmale hysteria, Gothic fiction, normative masculinity, alternative masculinity, E.T.A. Hoffmann, Edgar Allan Poe, Guy de Maupassant

© 2020 Ana Cristina Băniceru, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Hysteria as Alternative Masculinity in the Gothic Discourse of the 19^th Century: The Case of E.T.A. Hoffmann, Edgar Allan Poe and Guy De Maupassant

Keywords
male hysteria, Gothic fiction, normative masculinity, alternative masculinity, E.T.A. Hoffmann, Edgar Allan Poe, Guy de Maupassant