The development of media and academic debate on "the crisis in masculinity" has led to a growing focus on the lives of teenage boys. Studies done on teenage girls have revealed the physical, emotional, and educational costs of cultural expectations. It is important that similar studies be done to examine the cultural forces which influence the development of a teenage boy's sense of self. This thesis looks at one of these cultural influences---the books boys read. / Using Robert Connell's theoretical approach of hegemonic masculinity and sociologist Blye Frank's work with a group of teenage boys, criteria have been developed for collecting and categorizing images of masculinity in 103 realistic novels for young adults. These images are organized under body image, sport, other recreational proving grounds, relationships with men and women, school, and work; these are cross referenced by four areas of analysis: being male, competition, violence, and sexuality. / The second part of this thesis is concerned with using the theory of narrative discourse analysis, informed by the work of John Stephens, to examine the way in which the ideology of masculinity is mediated by narrative structure. The cultural expectations of the male characters in the novels are compared with experiences of real boys. Race, class, and cultural heritage are all discussed as emerging issues within the study. / The thesis addresses the following questions: Do books written for young adults mirror the subtlety and complexity of boys' choices? Is the ideology present in the books concentrated on reinforcing the hegemonic image? Does this literature provide a "space" for both the readers and the characters to develop their own highly relational form of masculinity? / The thesis concludes that while the images of hegemonic masculinity remain powerful, the majority of novels studied mirror the everyday struggle of real boys, and that generally, ideological statements in the selected novels move beyond reinforcing specific hegemonic images to supporting more general humanistic concerns.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 253-261). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center

No description available.

Thesis (M.A. )--Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, 2004. / Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 45-06, page: 2829. Typescript. Abstract precedes thesis as 2 preliminary leaves ( [ i-ii ] ). Includes bibliographical references ( leaves 83-84 ).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Idaho, 2005. / Abstract. "June 2005." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 188-204). Also available online in PDF format.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept. of English Language and Literature, June 2002. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

This dissertation sets out to analyze the manner in which the writers of dramatic fiction deconstruct the mythology and ideology of the private boys' boarding school in their work. It also seeks to interrogate the sociological and philosophical notions that underpin this fictional work. The central thrust of this dissertation is to explore the representation of the private boys' boarding school experience on the South African stage, with particular reference to writers whose work reflects their personal experiences within such institutions. Private boys' boarding schools promote the ideology that they provide a superior education based on liberal and democratic principles. These institutions supposedly oversee the development of the individual's mental, physical, spiritual, cultural and social education. The projected ideology of the private boys' boarding schools has become entrenched and has manifested itself as a pervasive mythology, which glorifies and glamourises the social reality of such institutions. This mythology is challenged and refuted by the appropriation of various sociological, and philosophical theorists, including: traditional Marxist critiques such as the theories of Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis (1976); structuralist theories such as those proposed by Louis Althusser (1971) and Antonio Gramsci (1971), whose notions of hegemony carry much relevance when considering private boys' boarding schools; and finally, Michel Foucault's (1977) theories of power and power hierarchies (Lotringer, 1989; Smart, 1985). Since South Africa's democratization in 1994, a number of fictional works have emerged that have engaged with the social reality of private boys' boarding schools. Most notably, two plays, Anthony Akerman's Old Boys (2000) and John van de Ruit's War Cry (1999), have highlighted issues surrounding private boys' boarding schools in South Africa. Together with a variety of texts written for different media these works have formed a critical base that, to some degree, has undermined the supremely positive resonance of the entrenched private school mythology, and in so doing, challenge the projected ideology. This dissertation's prime focus is on South African private boys' boarding schools; however, it also includes texts that articulate the social reality of private education in England and America. These texts are relevant firstly because the South African private schools are modeled very closely on the English public school system and secondly, because their inclusion adds weight and variety to the discussion. Important areas of study within this dissertation will be the interpretation of the various thematic concerns raised, and character constructions created by the various writers. This will be underpinned by the theoretical framework, which analyzes systems of power and power hierarchies, and the notion of hegemonic masculinity. Finally, the private boys' boarding school will be examined as a site for hegemonic struggle where power and privilege are continually contested in a relationship characterized by coercion and consent. The critical discourse of the fictional texts and its theoretical underpinning will be placed in opposition to the elitist mythology of the private boys' boarding school and the ideology that these institutions espouse. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2001.