Descriptions of masculinity in African women's creative writing

Sylvester N. Mutunda

This is the most important book on how female African novelists depict masculine archetypes, and how male characters are shaped through the gaze of a female author. Masculinity has been a buzzword of recent African gender scholarship, although very little work has been done in this area. Emerging studies have discussed how men are depicted in African culture, but this will be the first book length study of masculinity in Sub-Saharan African Literature by female authors. Less attention has been given to masculinity in literature, and this is the first book to discuss how female authors depict, and perhaps romanticize masculine archetypes they wish men would embody. Within the confines of traditional African culture, it is difficult for men to show compassionate or emotional sides of their character. These qualities are viewed as feminine, and thereby a sign of weakness. Yet these women writers all call into question the predominant stereotypes and behaviors associated with macho-masculinity. The emphasis in this study lies in how men are shaped in relation to their female counterparts, and viewed through the gaze of a female author.