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 2014
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Gender, Identity: Sexuality, Society: Community, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Family, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Femininity, Self Discovery
Tags LGBTQ, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Gender / Feminism, Biography
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Gender, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery, Society: Class
Tags Romance, Sports, New Adult, Modern Classic Fiction, Trauma / Abuse / Violence
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Sexuality, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Gender, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Race, Relationships: Friendship, Society: Community
Tags LGBTQ, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World, Historical Fiction
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Race, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Climate, Natural World: Environment, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Fathers, Society: Colonialism, Society: War
Tags Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Afrofuturism, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Children's Literature
Publication year 2003
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Teams, Society: Community, Identity: Masculinity
Tags Sports, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Relationships
John Grisham, known best for writing legal dramas such as The Pelican Brief and The Firm, branches into writing for young adults with his sports drama, Bleachers. The novel was originally published in 2003 and is loosely inspired by Grisham’s own experience as a high school quarterback in Mississippi. Bleachers follows former all-American quarterback Neely Crenshaw, who returns after 15 years to his small hometown of Messina. Neely and the rest of the former players... Read Bleachers Summary
Publication year 1972
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Identity: Masculinity, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, Latin American Literature, Education, Education, Fantasy, Classic Fiction
Bless Me, Ultima is a novel by American author Rudolfo Anaya (1937-2020). Published in 1972 by independent Chicanx publishing house TQS Publications, it is one of the first literary accounts of Chicanx culture to attain widespread acclaim in the United States. The novel is a semi-autobiographical account based on Ayana’s experience of coming of age in post-World War II New Mexico. Anaya explores themes of the Multiplicity within Chicanx Identity, Catholicism, Innocence Versus the Power... Read Bless Me, Ultima Summary
Publication year 2020
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Sexuality, Identity: Gender
Tags Parenting, Gender / Feminism, Love / Sexuality, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Self Help, Health / Medicine
Publication year 1977
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Identity: Masculinity, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Grief
Tags Education, Education, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Classic Fiction, Grief / Death, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Children's Literature, Poverty
Bridge to Terabithia is a 1977 children’s novel written by Katherine Paterson. Paterson is best-known for her children’s books, two of which earned Newbery Medals: Bridge to Terabithia and Jacob Have I Loved (1981). She was inspire to write Bridge to Terabithia after her son’s best friend was killed by lightning. It has since become a classic, beloved by readers for its exploration of themes like Finding Connection as an Outsider, The Stages of Grief... Read Bridge to Terabithia Summary
Publication year 1901
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: Marriage, Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, German Literature, History: World, Classical Period
Thomas Mann’s novel Buddenbrooks: The Decline of a Family was first published in 1901 and came to be recognized as a monumental work in the canon of modern literature. Thomas Mann (1875–1955) was a German novelist and recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1929 for his novels, Buddenbrooks and The Magic Mountain. Mann draws on his own family history to craft Buddenbrooks’ narrative, demonstrating profound understanding of societal and familial dynamics in the... Read Buddenbrooks Summary
Publication year 2004
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Indigenous, Identity: Language, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Literature
Tags Latin American Literature
Publication year 1955
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: Education, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Identity: Masculinity
Tags Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, Action / Adventure, Children's Literature, Education, Education, History: World
Publication year 1955
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Identity: Sexuality, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Masculinity
Tags Southern Gothic, Play: Drama, Classic Fiction, Education, Education, American Literature, Southern Literature, History: World, Drama / Tragedy
First performed in 1955, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is one of American playwright Tennessee Williams’s best-known works. This classic play won the 1955 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the New York Drama Critics’ Circle award for Best American Play, and was adapted into a 1958 film starring Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman. Adapted from Williams’s short story “Three Players of a Summer Game,” the three-act Cat on a Hot Tin Roof occurs in real-time as the Pollitt family gathers... Read Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Summary
Publication year 2017
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender
Tags Love / Sexuality, Relationships, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance
Publication year 1949
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Identity: Masculinity
Tags LGBTQ, Japanese Literature, Asian Literature, History: World
Confessions of a Mask is a novel by Yukio Mishima, first published in Japan in 1949. The novel takes place during and immediately after World War II and centers on the struggles of a young man named Kochan. It has significant elements of the coming-of-age (bildungsroman) and queer literature genres, as Kochan is a closeted gay man trying to navigate his complex inner life and sexuality in contrast with his carefully controlled outer persona. The... Read Confessions of a Mask Summary
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Masculinity, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Marriage, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2016
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: Class, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Femininity, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Life/Time: Midlife
Tags Japanese Literature, Relationships, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Asian Literature
Publication year 1608
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Masculinity, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Classic Fiction, Elizabethan Era, Play: Tragedy, Historical Fiction, British Literature, Education, Education, Drama / Tragedy
Coriolanus is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, likely written around 1607-1608. The play is set in Ancient Rome, much like Shakespeare’s other plays Julius Caesar, Titus Andronicus, and Antony and Cleopatra. Coriolanus dramatizes the life of the legendary Roman soldier Gnaeus Marcius Coriolanus, a patrician who was exiled from the Roman Republic in the 5th century BC after an unsuccessful bid to become consul. Through this narrative, Shakespeare explores themes of the difficulties of controlling... Read Coriolanus Summary
Publication year 2015
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Identity: Gender, Identity: Masculinity, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal
Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction
Publication year 1914
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Identity: Masculinity, Society: Colonialism, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Relationships: Fathers, Society: Politics & Government
Tags Education, Education, History: World, Irish Literature, Arts / Culture, Classic Fiction
Publication year 2004
Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction
Themes Identity: Sexuality, Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Identity: Masculinity, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags Realistic Fiction, Romance, Addiction / Substance Abuse, Mental Illness, Modern Classic Fiction