Masculinity and Syrian fiction : gender, society, and the female gaze

Th e above quote is part of a lecture given to a group of female students in the novel Dimashq y ā basmat al-ḥ uzn ( Damascus, O Smile of Sadness, 1980 ) by Ulfat al-Idlib ī . In the context of the novel, the statement can be read as a refl ection on the students' future roles as mothers and teachers but, in a wider context, it can be taken to emphasise the collective formulation of gender roles. On yet another level, it is an example of how fi ctional characters can be used as ways of engaging with society, here through the authority of the male teacher and the message he delivers to his students. Th e quote further describes exactly what the female authors discussed in this book have done, they have 'made men' . Although fi ctional, they have created men who are loved, hated, looked up to, despised, respected, feared and humiliated. Men who are presented as lifebuoys for the female characters and men who are seen as their biggest obstacles in the search for a happy life. Th e various male characters appearing in the novels analysed here do not at fi rst sight present a unifi ed performance of masculinity; their attempts at carrying out masculinity are also evaluated diff erently depending on their individual circumstances. Th is disparity in the performance of masculinity is part of what this book will explore, namely the creation and usage of literary masculinities in Syrian female authors' work during the second half of the twentieth century. Th e masculinities that exist in the novels will be examined on the same premises as the quote above, ie as examples of how, in this case fi ctional, societies form gender and how fi ction relates to society. Th rough the analyses of various novels, the book looks at how literary masculinities are formulated in relation to both the masculine ideals and the female characters of each fi ctional society. Moreover, it analyses the function of masculinity creation in women's Correspondingly, the masculinities constructed in the selection of novels discussed in this book can be seen as the individual views of the specifi c writers. At the same time, when read together, they give an idea of values and ideals during specifi c periods and they further show how these ideals are shaped and negotiated. Th ough acknowledging that a homosocial environment, as put forward by Michael Kimmel, 27 is an important factor in the shaping of gender identities, especially in societies where gender segregation is practiced, I agree with, among others, Marie Nordberg 28 and Farah Ghannam, 29 who have shown that women through their roles as mothers, sisters, grandmothers, wives, friends and girlfriends exert great infl uence over the formation of masculinity. In the novels discussed in this book, the majority of the male characters are described as formulating their masculinity in contrast to, or together with, a female character. Th e changing representation of masculinity that appears in the analysis is therefore both created by women and refl ected through and shaped by female characters. ## Writing in a Gender Regime Although all the novels examined are written by female writers, it does not mean that all the authors will bring the same values and ideas to their texts. Except for being identifi ed as women there might not be many similarities between them. Class, education, religion and political views, among other things, will play a part Cover Halftitle page Title page Copyright page Contents Acknowledgements Note on Transliteration and Translation List of Novels Discussed Introduction Masculinity Studies and Arabic Literature Writing in a Gender Regime The Syrian Literary Scene 1 Dream Masculinity – or the Male as a Vehicle for Self-Realisation Dream Masculinity as an Attempt to Influence Hegemonic Masculinity Bargaining to Get a Share of the Patriarchal Dividend Society and Hegemonic Norms The Ideal Father-Figure The Protector as Part of Masculinity Performance Hegemonic Femininity Continued Dreams – A Reoccurring Masculinity Is a Dream just a Dream? 2 Politically and Ideologically Influenced Masculinities The Female Perspective Changing Hegemonies and New Men Male and Female Gender Roles Ideological Masculinity – the Political Man The Death of the Political Man 3 Changing Masculinity – a Transformation from Solution to Problem Changing views on the Father Figure Empty Promises and the Problem of a Changing Masculinity Changing Realities for the Formulation of Masculinities 4 Masculinity – a Demanding Role to Play Cross Writing the Male Gaze Subordinate Masculinity Hegemonic Masculinity as an Impossible Ideal Varying Social Backgrounds Virility as a Burden of Masculinity The Ability to Provide as a Burden of Masculinity Violence as a Burden of Masculinity 5 Female Masculinity and Male Femininity –the Exploration of Gender Formulation Creating Gendered Bodies Female Masculinity and Male Femininity Male and Female Influences on Masculinity Formulation Bringing Up Boys and Girls Breaking the Strict Gender Boundaries Social Critique through the Performance of Masculinity Conclusion Literature and Society Notes Bibliography Biographical Appendix Index "What can novels tell us about masculinity in Syria? In this book, Lovisa Berg explores over 20 Syrian novels covering the last 50 years of the 20th century. Uniquely, she examines only female writers in order to gauge the changing ways in which Syrian women perceived the function of masculinity, and the impact certain attitudes towards masculinity have on men, women, children and Syrian society, from a female perspective. The works of writers from Kulit Khuri to Usayma Darwish are analysed to explore changing attitudes to gender in Syria and the Middle East, as well as the political upheavals within the country and region. We see the idealistically portrayed men in the novels of female authors in the 1950s give way in time to a more critical depictions of patriarchy. Above all, we see through the use of novels a plethora of critiques of masculine hegemony in Syrian society, the authors of which are able with the use of fiction to reorganise and question maleness in a way denied to them in reality. This book will be of interest to scholars of Contemporary Syrian and Arabic Literature, Masculinity Studies and Women's Studies."-- Provided by publisher What can novels tell us about masculinity in Syria? In this book, Lovisa Berg explores over 20 Syrian novels covering the last 50 years of the 20th century. Uniquely, she examines only female writers in order to gauge the changing ways in which Syrian women perceived the function of masculinity, and the impact certain attitudes towards masculinity have on men, women, children and Syrian society, from a female perspective. The works of writers from Kulit Khuri to Usayma Darwish are analysed to explore changing attitudes to gender in Syria and the Middle East, as well as the political upheavals within the country and region. We see the idealistically portrayed men in the novels of female authors in the 1950s give way in time to a more critical depictions of patriarchy. Above all, we see through the use of novels a plethora of critiques of masculine hegemony in Syrian society, the authors of which are able with the use of fiction to reorganise and question maleness in a way denied to them in reality. This book will be of interest to scholars of Contemporary Syrian and Arabic Literature, Masculinity Studies and Women's Studies. -- back cover