RISKING MASCULINITY: PLAYING FAST AND LOOSE WITH HEGEMONIC MASCULINITY IN THE HERO’S GUIDE TO SAVING YOUR KINGDOM
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25159/0027-2639/1657Keywords:
Prince Charming, masculinity studies, fairy tales, hegemonic masculinity, children’s literature, Christopher HealyAbstract
In Christopher Healy’s (2012) children’s book, The hero’s guide to saving your kingdom, the idea of hegemonic masculinity is subverted in various ways. In this reinvention of four fairy tales – ‘Cinderella’, ‘Sleeping Beauty’, ‘Snow White’ and ‘Rapunzel’ – the author seems consciously to subvert the prevalent stereotypes surrounding traditional representations of the idealised, yet largely uninterrogated image of ‘Prince Charming’. All four of the princes who feature as protagonists in the book express their dissatisfaction at the prescriptive expectations that govern every aspect of their lived realities. Healy explores alternative ways of representing this type of character to modern child readers, in many cases testing the boundaries that dictate which physical characteristics and behavioural patterns are allowable in such characters. This article explores Healy’s negotiation of masculinity in the context of its intended 21st century child audienceMetrics
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