From Chivalry to Terrorism : War and the Changing Nature of Masculinity

Rating:
Summary: LEO BRAUDY'S MASTERLY ACHIEVEMENT
Review: STIMULATING in its uses of the past, HEARTBREAKING in its description of the 20th Century's uses of propaganda to prepare men for war, STUNNINGLY insightful as it connects seemingly disparate strands; e.g.: the fictional detective as heroic loner and TS Eliot's The Wasteland, BRILLIANTLY amusing as it discusses poetic evocations of premature ejaculation...In a word(or two) A Man's a Man and Leo Braudy's book should be read by any and all who've tried to puzzle out the reason why.

Rating:
Summary: Man o' War
Review: This is a first class work by a literary historian of wide erudition. Leo Braudy traces the changing nature of maleness as seen though the wars and consequent cultural upheavals of the last thousand years. The author has read widely and from that has come a new view of this enormous subject. His references are European, Asian and North American -- all quite different, of course, though in Braudy's view, also often similar. Cultural traits among these varied groups pop up over time in a way that could be described as Jungian. Braudy draws on literary works, social and historical criticism, political rhetoric, movies, and popular music which results in a wealth of entertaining detail. One example: The Berserkers, the ancient Scandinavian warriors from whom the modern word derives, painted themselves in gaudy colors and in the presence of their enemies ate their own shields. It tended to scare off the other guys. The book is written in short chapters, in an easy yet precise voice that is mercifully jargon-free. Note of disclosure: The author and I are acquainted which accounts for my early reading of the book though not for my view of it.