Limit this search to....

The Male Body at War: American Masculinity During World War II
Contributor(s): Jarvis, Christina (Author)
ISBN: 0875803229     ISBN-13: 9780875803227
Publisher: Northern Illinois University Press
OUR PRICE:   $48.46  
Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats
Published: January 2004
Qty:
Additional Information
BISAC Categories:
- Social Science | Men's Studies
- History | Military - World War Ii
- History | United States - 20th Century
Dewey: 305.310
LCCN: 2003061040
Physical Information: 0.99" H x 6.2" W x 9.34" (1.29 lbs) 258 pages
Themes:
- Chronological Period - 1940's
- Sex & Gender - Masculine
- Chronological Period - 20th Century
 
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
Publisher Description:

Muscular, fearless, youthful, athletic--the World War II soldier embodied masculine ideals and represented the manhood of the United States. In The Male Body at War, Christina Jarvis examines the creation of this national symbol, from military recruitment posters to Hollywood war films to the iconic flag-raisers at Iwo Jima. A poignant selection of illustrations brings together comics, advertisements, media images, and government propaganda intended to impress U.S. citizens and foreign nations with America's strength.

Jarvis recognizes, however, that the male body was more than a mere symbol. During the war, the nation literally invested its survival in the corps of servicemen, and the armed forces set about crafting them into soldiers. Drawing upon medical journals, War Department documents, and government health reports, Jarvis scrutinizes the ways in which physical inspections defined male bodies by fitness and race while training molded those bodies for action. At the same time, she gives servicemen a voice through war memoirs and a survey of over 130 veterans. Her searching analysis reveals not only how the men mediated popular culture and military regimen to forge an understanding of their own masculinity but how, in the face of dead and wounded comrades, they tempered such body-centered ideals with an emphasis on compassion and tenderness.

Theoretically sophisticated and methodologically innovative, The Male Body at War makes a major contribution to the literature on the body as a cultural construction. With its compelling narrative and engaging style, it will appeal to a broad range of readers with interests in gender studies as well as to students of American history and culture.