by Jon Lackman | 9 October 2007 | Books, Theory
Opening the latest Art History (April 2007), we see that their book reviews are no longer edited by the inimitable Liz James, yet they seem to be every bit as excellent this issue under new editor Cordelia Warr. (If only the section were larger, and the books reviewed closer to their publication date.) In this issue, Amelia Yeates considers Martin A. Danahay’s Gender at Work in Victorian Culture: Literature, Art and Masculinity as well as Martin Myrone’s Bodybuilding: Reforming Masculinities in British Art 1750-1810:
The field of masculinity studies has for some time now seen interventions as exciting as those in women’s studies and feminism … One of the most pleasing aspects of Gender at Work is Danahay’s clear theoretical positioning … Danahay sees his own book as part of a ‘second wave’ of masculinity studies, the ‘first wave’ represented by James Eli Adams and Joseph Kestner. Danahay shares with Adams an interest in the ways in which intellectual labor becomes feminized by the valorization of the domestic sphere, but whereas Adams examines the figures of the dandy, priest, prophet, gentleman and soldier as ‘affirmative’ models, Danahay examines the contradiction caused by conflicting and competing ideological values, particularly when it comes to the issue of labor. This leads him to consider anxieties and instances of failure, rather than positive affirmations of masculine identity … Another rewarding aspect of Danahay’s study is the close visual and textual discussion he undertakes … Accessible but rigorously written, Danahay’s book is a welcome addition …
