Books that Feature the Theme of Masculinity

This thematic Collection centers books that explore the concepts of manhood and masculinity. Through novels, plays, and literary genres, a diverse chorus of authors examines various interpretations of masculine identity and the masculine experience through coming-of-age stories, war narratives, and fantasy realms.

Publication year 1844

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Relationships: Teams, Life/Time: The Past, Identity: Masculinity, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge

Tags Action / Adventure, Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, French Literature, History: European, Military / War, Love / Sexuality, History: World

The Three Musketeers (1844), by French novelist and playwright Alexandre Dumas, is a novel that borrows tropes from the swashbuckling genre, historical fiction, and romance to recount the adventures of a group of king’s guard who face off against the machinations of nefarious political factions set on destabilizing the monarchy. It was first published through serialization in 1844 to great popularity. Though set in the mid-1600s, the novel connected with the philosophical underpinnings of the... Read The Three Musketeers Summary


Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Masculinity, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Life/Time: Coming of Age

Tags Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, History: U.S., American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction

The Topeka School is a literary novel published by Ben Lerner in 2019. Lerner, an acclaimed writer and a winner of the MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship in 2015, is well-known for his poetry and his novels. His novels are often referred to as “autofiction,” due to the fact that they feature fictionalized versions of himself and other figures from his life. The Topeka School was a finalist for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.This guide follows the... Read The Topeka School Summary


Publication year 1980

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Society: Colonialism, Identity: Masculinity, Emotions/Behavior: Love

Tags Historical Fiction, Gender / Feminism, History: European, Immigration / Refugee, Post-War Era, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: World, Classic Fiction

Shirley Hazzard (1931-2016) was an Australian novelist and United Nations worker who settled in the United States. The Transit of Venus (1980) is Hazzard’s third novel and the winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction. It draws upon Hazzard’s own experiences of an Australian childhood, emigrating abroad, and being part of the first generation of working women. Critics responded to the juxtaposition of intimate, personal narratives with a broader examination of what... Read The Transit of Venus Summary


Publication year 2000

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Life/Time: Aging, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Society: Class, Relationships: Friendship, Values/Ideas: Fate, Relationships: Siblings, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Literature, Relationships: Mothers, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Family, Life/Time: The Future, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Self Discovery, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Relationships: Marriage, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Identity: Masculinity, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Identity: Femininity, Relationships: Fathers, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride

Tags History: World, Regency Era, Romance, Historical Fiction


Publication year 2024

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Masculinity, Relationships: Teams, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose

Tags Politics / Government, History: World, Military / War


Publication year 2003

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Gender, Identity: Masculinity, Values/Ideas: Equality

Tags Gender / Feminism, Love / Sexuality, Relationships, Psychology, Philosophy, Social Justice, Sociology, Psychology, Philosophy, Self Help, Politics / Government


Publication year 1962

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Identity: Masculinity, Natural World: Animals

Tags Classic Fiction, Magical Realism, Allegory / Fable / Parable, Japanese Literature, Existentialism, Asian Literature, History: World

Kōbō Abe’s 1962 novel The Woman in the Dunes (Sand Woman in Japanese) is an existential story of an amateur entomologist who goes on holiday to a seaside village. He winds up trapped in a sand pit with a woman engaged in a never-ending battle with the sand that threatens to overwhelm the village. It won the 1962 Yomiuri Prize for literature and the 1967 Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger (France’s Prize for the Best... Read The Woman in the Dunes Summary


Publication year 1977

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Identity: Masculinity, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags Fantasy, Humor, Action / Adventure, Children's Literature, Classic Fiction


Publication year 2019

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Femininity, Identity: Sexuality, Identity: Masculinity

Tags Love / Sexuality, Gender / Feminism, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Modern Classic Fiction, Biography


Publication year 1937

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Masculinity, Society: Class, Society: Economics

Tags Classic Fiction, American Literature, Class, Disability, Poverty, Great Depression, History: U.S., Mystery / Crime Fiction, History: World

Ernest Hemingway’s best-selling yet poorly reviewed 1937 novel, To Have and Have Not, reflects his growing disillusionment with the world following his experiences in Spain during the Spanish Civil War. Written in piecemeal format during his travels, the novel was originally published as two separate short stories and a novella, and this disjointed formation is apparent in the continuity of the plot. Featuring Hemingway’s classic minimalism, the novel offers both the story of Harry Morgan... Read To Have And Have Not Summary


Publication year 1996

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Sexuality, Self Discovery, Society: Class

Tags Gender / Feminism, History: World, LGBTQ, Politics / Government


Publication year 1962

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Natural World: Place, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Masculinity, Life/Time: Aging, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Identity: Language, Society: Community

Tags Travel Literature, Action / Adventure, American Literature, Animals, Civil Rights / Jim Crow, Classic Fiction, Biography

Published in 1962, Travels With Charley: In Search of America is a narrative travelogue by John Steinbeck. The book follows a cross-country road trip the author took with his dog, a brown poodle named Charley. They travel in a camper-style pickup truck named Rosinante, which Steinbeck had custom built for the trip. Steinbeck embarked on the journey because he felt disconnected from the larger picture of American life after years of living in New York... Read Travels With Charley Summary


Publication year 1934

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Masculinity, Natural World: Food, Values/Ideas: Art

Tags Classic Fiction, Auto/Biographical Fiction, American Literature, Love / Sexuality, French Literature, History: World

Tropic of Cancer (1934) was Henry Miller’s third novel after the never-published Clipped Wings (1922) and Moloch: or, This Gentile World (1928). Miller referred to it as his “Paris book,” and it was wildly controversial for its candid depictions of sex. It was the subject of legal disputes and censorship attempts for decades, though ironically it has never been out of print. Tropic of Cancer brings together various genres, including autobiography, memoir, manifesto, and philosophical... Read Tropic of Cancer Summary


Publication year 1968

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Identity: Masculinity, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Teams, Society: Nation, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Western, Action / Adventure, Classic Fiction

True Grit is a 1968 western novel by Charles Portis that tells the story of Mattie Ross, a determined and headstrong 14-year-old girl from Arkansas who seeks vengeance for her father’s murder. With the unlikely help of Rooster Cogburn, a tough US Marshal, and LaBoeuf, a Texas Ranger, Mattie sets out to capture the killer, Tom Chaney. True Grit was an instant bestseller, adapted as a film in 1969 and in 2010. This guide uses the... Read True Grit Summary


Publication year 1987

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Masculinity, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Teams, Society: Economics, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose

Tags Business / Economics, Business/Economics, Finance / Money / Wealth


Publication year 1999

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Identity: Masculinity, Society: Community

Tags Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Magical Realism, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Canadian Literature, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 1995

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Sexuality, Relationships: Family, Identity: Gender, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Self Discovery

Tags LGBTQ, Gender / Feminism, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Love / Sexuality, Biography

Two or Three Things I Know for Sure is a 1995 memoir by American author and activist Dorothy Allison, a native of Greenville, South Carolina. A coming-of-age story that examines feminism and lesbian identity in the context of the patriarchal norms of the South, the book uses both narrative and photographs to tell the stories of the women in Allison’s family and their complex relationships with the men who both loved and abused them. Her... Read Two or Three Things I Know for Sure Summary


Publication year 2004

Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Sexuality

Tags Gender / Feminism, Sociology, LGBTQ, Philosophy, Philosophy


Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Femininity, Identity: Masculinity, Society: Politics & Government

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Latin American Literature, Historical Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, History: World


Publication year 1870

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Femininity, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Sexuality, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed

Tags Love / Sexuality, Psychology, Psychology, Romance, Classic Fiction

Venus in Furs (1870) is a novella by Austrian writer Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, first published as part of his proposed collection of short stories, The Legacy of Cain. Sacher-Masoch planned for the collection to detail his worldview, but he only completed the first two sections. The novella follows Severin von Kusiemski’s time with Wanda von Dunajew, a widow he meets at a health resort, and explores The Exploration of Sexual Power Dynamics, The Psychological Negotiation... Read Venus in Furs Summary