The Gendering of Men,1600-1750: The English Phallus

Taking on nothing less than the formation of modern sexual and gender identities, King examines the way masculinity in the 17th and 18th centuries was reconfigured, and how heterosexuality in turn became naturalized. This is a crucial work by one of the field's leading scholars. The Gendering of Men, 1600-1750 traces the transition from a society based on alliance, which had subordinated all men, women, and boys to higher ranked males, to one founded in sexuality, through which men have embodied their claims to personal and political privacy. King proposes that the male body is a performative production marking men's resistance to their subjection within patriarchy and sovereignty. Emphasizing that categories of gender must come under historical analysis, The Gendering of Men explores men's particpation in an ongoing struggle for access to a universal manliness transcending other biological and social differentials.

About the Author :
Thomas A. King is associate professor of English at Brandeis University, where he teaches early modern and eighteenth-century studies, gender and queer studies, and performance studies. Prior to his teaching career, King worked as an A.E.A. stage manager in Chicago. He has published articles on Restoration and eighteenth-century theater history, gender and sexuality, and gay men s camp. Forthcoming from the University of Wisconsin Press is "The Gendering of Men, 16001750: Queer Articulations," the second volume of this study. King lives in Somerville, Massachusetts."

Review :
""The Gendering of Men" is a wonderful book. . . . it is sure to make a splash in GLBT studies and history, in queer studies, and in eighteenth-century studies. Building on previous scholarly works that interrogate notions of sexuality and gender in the 'long eighteenth century (1660-1800), ' King complicates and clarifies ways in which we can understand early-modern and modern sexual and gender identities."--Hans Turley, University of Connecticut "Dazzling in the depth and breadth of scholarly inquiry that has gone into the book's production, the reach of King's argument will do much to persuade those less or little interested in theater to think again about the relevance of this genre to any research of the period."--Susan Bennett, University of Calgary, Canada "Those interested in queer studies, performance studies, and early modern culture will find this book valuable."--"Choice," Sept. 2005 Those interested in queer studies, performance studies, and early modern culture will find this book valuable. "Choice"" ""The Gendering of Men" is a wonderful book. . . . it is sure to make a splash inGLBT studies and history, in queer studies, and in eighteenth-century studies. Building on previous scholarly works that interrogate notions of sexuality and gender in the long eighteenth century (16601800), King complicates and clarifies ways in which we can understand early-modern and modern sexual and gender identities."Hans Turley, University of Connecticut" "Dazzling in the depth and breadth of scholarly inquiry that has gone into the book s production, the reach of King s argument will do much to persuade those less or little interested in theater to think again about the relevance of this genre to any research of the period."Susan Bennett, University of Calgary, Canada" "Those interested in queer studies, performance studies, and early modern culture will find this book valuable."--"Choice" “Those interested in queer studies, performance studies, and early modern culture will find this book valuable.”—"Choice" ""The Gendering of Men is a wonderful book. . . . it is sure to make a splash in GLBT studies and history, in queer studies, and in eighteenth-century studies. Building on previous scholarly works that interrogate notions of sexuality and gender in the 'long eighteenth century (1660-1800), ' King complicates and clarifies ways in which we can understand early-modern and modern sexual and gender identities."--Hans Turley, University of Connecticut