강의실에서 오고간 미국 남성성 이야기: 『파이트 클럽』 ,『아메리칸 싸이코』

A Study of Masculinity in America in an Undergraduate English Class : Fight Club and American Psycho

&nbsp;&nbsp;This thesis deals with American masculinity in Chuck Palahniuk&quot;s Fight Club and Bret Easton Ellis&quot;s American Psycho discussed in an undergraduate "British/American Literature and Film" class. In order to pique the students&quot; curiosity about the topic, they were asked at the beginning of the class to answer such questions about gender issues as "What is masculinity?" "What is feminity?" "Are feminity and masculinity totally opposite?" and "What is American masculinity, and is it different from Korean masculinity?" Once stimulated about the concept of masculinity, the students were ready to ravel the many versions of masculinity in America from her cultural and social aspects. I introduced to the students Michael Kimmel&quot;s Manhood in America and Christopher Lasch&quot;s The Culture of Narcissism in order to limit their class discussion within Kimmel&quot;s social definition of American manhood and Lasch&quot;s cultural approach to American contemporary narcissism.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;Most class discussions were focused on the gender analysis of protagonists in the two novels: a feminine narrator who remains anonymous to the end and masculine Tyler Durden of Fight Club, and narcissistic Patrick Bateman of American Psycho. Among the many words defining American masculinity, we chose a small group of keywords including "bulge" (in one&quot;s pockets and muscles), "bread winner," and "self-made man" in evaluating the masculinity of the three figures. Each of them represents various aspects of masculinity: unsatisfactory masculinity, anxious masculinity, angry masculinity, violent masculinity, feminized masculinity, and emasculated masculinity. They are commonly under the crisis of masculinity. They are culturally and socially forced to act out new versions of masculinity totally different from its counterpart in the past. They, however, are reluctant to or refuse to accept this cultural milieu, which makes them resistant and violent physically as well as psychologically. As an alternative solution to this polemic masculinity in America, students suggested building a new understanding of masculinity called "democratic manhood" by Kimmel.