Prosthetic Agency: Literature, Culture and Masculinity after World War II

Prosthetic Agency: Literature, Culture, and Masculinity after World War II explores the social and psychic upheaval of demobilization, mapping the transition from wartime regimentation to individual responsibility, homosociality to heteronormative expectations, normativity to disability, and uniformed masculinity to domestic citizenship. It examines how popular culture sought to mediate these transitions, exploring films, popular fiction, memoir, and biography.

Format: Hardback
Length: 300 pages
Publication date: 13 July 2023
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Prosthetic Agency: Literature, Culture, and Masculinity after World War II delves into the profound social and psychological transformations that accompanied the demobilization process. It provides a comprehensive mapping of the swift shift from wartime regimentation to individual responsibility, from the tightly-knit homosocial bonds to the emergence of heteronormative expectations, from the confines of normativity to the realm of disability, and from the uniformed masculinity of the military to the domestic citizenship of civilian life. This book explores various strategies employed by popular culture during this transitional period to navigate these challenging transitions. It examines films, popular fiction, memoirs, and biographies, shedding light on how these forms of media sought to mediate the complexities of these shifts.

In particular, the book delves into the imaginative portrayal of technology as a new domain for masculine development and the ways in which disability was written, represented, and integrated into society. Through a narrative lens, the book explores the modes of masculinity that were promoted as ideal for national reconstruction and attempts to make sense of a culture of rehabilitation that remained largely unnamed and unacknowledged.

The book's exploration of popular narrative highlights the ways in which cultural representations shape and influence societal attitudes and beliefs. It sheds light on the complex interplay between masculinity, power, and identity, challenging traditional notions of what it means to be a man in post-war society. Prosthetic Agency provides a valuable contribution to the study of literature, culture, and masculinity, offering a nuanced and insightful analysis of the social and psychic upheaval that marked the aftermath of World War II.

ISBN-13: 9781316513200