Synopses & Reviews
In Men, Kipnis dissects her fascination and identification with the opposite sex, especially the more confounding and intemperate male personalities shes encountered during a lifetime of research.
Its no secret that men often behave in mystifying ways, but in recent years weve witnessed so many spectacular public displays of male excess—indecent politicians, sleazy academics, philandering sports stars—that were left to wonder whether something has come unwired in the collective male psyche.
In the essays collected here, Kipnis revisits the archetypes of wayward masculinity that have captured her imagination over the years: the scumbag, the con man, the critic, the obsessive, cheaters, and many others.
Examining men who have figured in her own life alongside the more notorious public examples, she draws out the masculine angst and sexual contradictions implicit in the erratic conduct of each. Far from the reactions of condescension and scorn that habitually greet such characters, Kipnis finds that they provoke in her complicated forms of sympathy and identification. Pushing past the usual clichés about differences between the sexes, Kipnis mixes intellectual rigor and careful analysis to give us compelling survey of the affinities, jealousies, longings, and erotics that structure the male-female bond.
Review
“Kipniss gifts are on full display in this irresistible collection of essays, in which she weaves together complex and penetrating insights about gender into provocative treatises.… Kipniss arguments are never predictable: for example, her chapter on ‘juicers, ostensibly about steroid-abusing male athletes, evolves into a profound soliloquy about writing, plagiarism, and labor markets. Her examination of modern manhood sheds as much light on male vulnerability as it does on male privilege, entitlement, and abuse…. Kipnis has given us a necessary, and often witty, book that shows a brilliant, agile mind at work.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Feisty, unapologetic forays into the messiness of gender relations… rendered in funny, spirited writing.”
—Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
From the notoriously contrarian author of Against Love, a witty and probing examination of why badly behaved men have been her lifelong fascination, on and off the page
It's no secret that men often behave in intemperate ways, but in recent years we've witnessed so many spectacular public displays of male excess disgraced politicians, erotically desperate professors, fallen sports icons that we're left to wonder whether something has come unwired in the collective male psyche.
In the essays collected here, Laura Kipnis revisits the archetypes of wayward masculinity that have captured her imagination over the years, scrutinizing men who have figured in her own life alongside more controversial public examples. Slicing through the usual cliches about the differences between the sexes, Kipnis mixes intellectual rigor and wit to give us compelling survey of the affinities, jealousies, longings, and erotics that structure the male-female bond.
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Synopsis
From the notoriously contrarian author of Against Love, a witty and probing examination of why badly behaved men have been her lifelong fascination, on and off the page
Its no secret that men often behave in intemperate ways, but in recent years weve witnessed so many spectacular public displays of male excess—disgraced politicians, erotically desperate professors, fallen sports icons—that were left to wonder whether something has come unwired in the collective male psyche.
In the essays collected here, Laura Kipnis revisits the archetypes of wayward masculinity that have captured her imagination over the years, scrutinizing men who have figured in her own life alongside more controversial public examples. Slicing through the usual clichés about the differences between the sexes, Kipnis mixes intellectual rigor and wit to give us compelling survey of the affinities, jealousies, longings, and erotics that structure the male-female bond.
About the Author
Laura Kipnis is the author of How to Become a Scandal, Against Love, and The Female Thing. A professor in the Department of Radio/TV/Film at Northwestern University, she has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the NEA. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Harpers, Slate, and Bookforum, among others. She lives in New York and Chicago.