White Male Nostalgia in Contemporary North American Literature

Tim Engles

White Male Nostalgia in Contemporary North American Literature

Eastern Illinois University

Research output: Book/Report › Book

Abstract

   [Please note that individual chapters are available for download in the "Books" section of "Selected Works of Tim Engles"] 
 
   White Male Nostalgia in Contemporary North American Literature     charts the late twentieth-century development of reactionary emotions commonly felt by resentful, yet often goodhearted white men. Examining an eclectic array of literary case studies in light of recent work in critical whiteness and masculinity studies, history, geography, philosophy and theology, Tim Engles delineates five preliminary forms of white male nostalgia—as dramatized in novels by Sloan Wilson, Richard Wright, Carol Shields, Don DeLillo, Louis Begley and Margaret Atwood—demonstrating how literary fiction can help us understand the inner workings of deluded dominance. These authors write from identities outside the defensive domain of normalized white masculinity, demonstrating via extended interior dramas that although nostalgia is primarily thought of as an emotion felt by individuals, it also works to shore up entrenched collective power. 
 
   Reviews: 
 
   "Arresting from its most sweeping claims to its wonderfully telling details, this closely argued study reminds us of how supple and hard-hitting critical studies of whiteness can be at their very best. Steeped in historical knowledge, Engles’ brilliant readings of celebrated and neglected works diagnose how white middle class masculinity has long managed to claim outsider status and how thoroughly creative writers have called into question such claims.” (David Roediger, Foundation Professor of American Studies, University of Kansas, USA) 
 
   “This book is well-written, compellingly argued, and will contribute a great deal to work in American cultural studies of gender and race, as well as in contemporary fiction more broadly.” (Sally Robinson, Associate Professor of English, Texas A&M University, USA, and author of Marked Men: White Masculinity in Crisis, 2000) 
 
   Further information:    https://www.palgrave.com/us/book/9783319904597

Original language	American English
State	Published - Jul 30 2018

Keywords

Critical Whiteness Studies
Masculinity Studies
Memory Studies
Contemporary American Literature
Contemporary Canadian Literature
white male nostalgia
nostalgia
Don DeLillo
Margaret Atwood
Louis Begley
Sloan Wilson
Richard Wright
Carol Shields

Disciplines

Arts and Humanities
American Studies
American Literature
Other Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
History
History of Gender
United States History
Other Italian Language and Literature
African American Studies
Ethnic Studies

Cite this

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title = "White Male Nostalgia in Contemporary North American Literature",

abstract = " [Please note that individual chapters are available for download in the {"}Books{"} section of {"}Selected Works of Tim Engles{"}] White Male Nostalgia in Contemporary North American Literature charts the late twentieth-century development of reactionary emotions commonly felt by resentful, yet often goodhearted white men. Examining an eclectic array of literary case studies in light of recent work in critical whiteness and masculinity studies, history, geography, philosophy and theology, Tim Engles delineates five preliminary forms of white male nostalgia—as dramatized in novels by Sloan Wilson, Richard Wright, Carol Shields, Don DeLillo, Louis Begley and Margaret Atwood—demonstrating how literary fiction can help us understand the inner workings of deluded dominance. These authors write from identities outside the defensive domain of normalized white masculinity, demonstrating via extended interior dramas that although nostalgia is primarily thought of as an emotion felt by individuals, it also works to shore up entrenched collective power. Reviews: {"}Arresting from its most sweeping claims to its wonderfully telling details, this closely argued study reminds us of how supple and hard-hitting critical studies of whiteness can be at their very best. Steeped in historical knowledge, Engles{\textquoteright} brilliant readings of celebrated and neglected works diagnose how white middle class masculinity has long managed to claim outsider status and how thoroughly creative writers have called into question such claims.” (David Roediger, Foundation Professor of American Studies, University of Kansas, USA) “This book is well-written, compellingly argued, and will contribute a great deal to work in American cultural studies of gender and race, as well as in contemporary fiction more broadly.” (Sally Robinson, Associate Professor of English, Texas A&M University, USA, and author of Marked Men: White Masculinity in Crisis, 2000) Further information: https://www.palgrave.com/us/book/9783319904597 ",

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