On Brokeback Mountain: Meditations About Masculinity, Fear, and Love in the Story and the Film provides a close, detailed, comparative discussion of the short story and the film in relation to ways of understanding masculinity and love between men in American culture. It uses analytical ideas from gay and lesbian/queer studies, American studies, social history, film history, and literary history, but avoids specialized theoretical language in order to be accessible to the many people interested in the story and the film. Original, interdisciplinary, and engaging, On Brokeback Mountain is intended to be not only useful to academic specialists but also accessible and readable for any interested, educated reader. The two versions of Brokeback Mountain are significant for taking readers and audiences inside the perspectives of men who love men, showing what physical and emotional passion, and hostility toward that passion, may be like for them. The story and the film help in understanding the many men who love men and who don't fit stereotypes of gay men or participate in the gay/queer worlds of urban/academic communities, especially men in rural areas and in working class contexts. This book examines the presentation of friendship, sex, and love between men in Brokeback Mountain, as well as the depiction of homophobia and its effects on men who love men and their families. It relates the story and the film to the literary tradition of the homoerotic pastoral, the literary/movie tradition of the Western, and the tradition of the tragic romantic love story.
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This reader-friendly and thorough study of Brokeback Mountain enhances our enjoyment of the film and the original story, and expands our awareness of crucial social justice issues. A personal essay as well as an enlightened volume of cultural criticism, this study moves, informs, and creates a community of readers. A groundbreaking inquiry in gender studies, Eric Patterson's new work gives us language for what it means not only to be masculine, but to be human. (Marilyn Kallet )
A brilliant, powerful investigation that makes sense of the sensational reception of the 2005 Ang Lee film and traces the beauty of it back to the Annie Proulx short story it was based on, this is a book for everyone who saw Brokeback Mountain or read about it. Eric Patterson’s writing will remind you of that one inspiring English teacher whose class you wish you could take again, dazzling you with funny and intriguing insights about the political and literary contexts of both the film and fiction. Companionable with current scholarship theorizing space, regionalism, and the rural homosexual, On Brokeback Mountain is also a timely contribution to significant discussions about how gay and lesbian studies and queer theory have myopically focused on urban identities. This book is as poignant as the movie it elucidates and will be just as gratefully embraced by freshmen and farmers alike. (Carol Mason )
Eric Patterson's new book is at once useful and inspiring. Through attentive and insightful readings of Annie Proulx's powerful story and Ang Lee's moving film, Patterson not only brilliantly explicates these significant works of art, but also places them in a variety of revealing contexts. The result is cultural criticism at its finest: informative, committed, passionate, humane. (Claude J. Summers )
Before reading this book, I thought I appreciated the achievements of Brokeback Mountain. I am grateful for Eric Patterson's passionate and richly insightful illumination — of the story and film as artistic works, and of the cultural realities that informed their creation and fuel their potency. (Will Fellows )
Eric Patterson's book is a success on three levels. It can be read as a companion to understanding the film and story; it can be used as a text in studying the social impact of the film and story at the university level; and whether you are a veteran of our forum discussions or newly struck by Brokeback fever, this book will add an extra dimension to your appreciation of Brokeback Mountain as a masterpiece of modern literature and film. (The Ultimate Brokeback Forum, March 2008 )
When Owen Wister invented the Western in his best-selling 1902 novel, The Virginian, he placed at the heart of the genre the love that "dare not speak its name," with an eastern narrator enamored of a stalwart ex-Virginian. A century later, Brokeback Mountain caused a critical eruption in its frank exploration of the passion that has always been a part of cowboy life. The triumph of Eric Patterson’s study of both Proulx’s story and Ang Lee’s film is to show how fully the narrative of Jack and Ennis is a part of our national romance. In nuanced chapters, Patterson explores a series of related issues—the elegy, histories of homosexuality, Whitman’s poetry, romantic love, ranging in the process from Virgil’s Eclogues to Kinsey’s studies of sexuality—all in an effort to understand at once the triumph of Brokeback Mountain as narrative and its separate stylistic achievements, as well as the torrent of slurs against its basic premise. Patterson is an impassioned reader, though never intemperate, and through a careful accumulation of readings of every aspect of both story and film, makes his case simply, successfully, elegantly, that this is not only a triumph of the genre, but a masterpiece in its own right. (Lee C. Mitchell )
Eric Patterson has created...[a] reader-friendly examination of the short story and the film adaptation....Brokeback fans will want to read this thorough analysis....Patterson's book is a powerful tribute to the story and film. (The Gay and Lesbian Review )
Well researched and nicely written ... insightful not only into the Brokeback Mountain narrative but also into the troubling history of sexual prejudice. (The Journal Of American Culture, March 2009 )
A brilliant, powerful investigation that makes sense of the sensational reception of the 2005 Ang Lee film and traces the beauty of it back to the Annie Proulx short story it was based on, this is a book for everyone who saw Brokeback Mountain or read about it. Eric Patterson’s writing will remind you of that one inspiring English teacher whose class you wish you could take again, dazzling you with funny and intriguing insights about the political and literary contexts of both the film and fiction. Companionable with current scholarship theorizing space, regionalism, and the rural homosexual, On Brokeback Mountain is also a timely contribution to significant discussions about how gay and lesbian studies and queer theory have myopically focused on urban identities. This book is as poignant as the movie it elucidates and will be just as gratefully embraced by freshmen and farmers alike. (Carol Mason )
Eric Patterson's new book is at once useful and inspiring. Through attentive and insightful readings of Annie Proulx's powerful story and Ang Lee's moving film, Patterson not only brilliantly explicates these significant works of art, but also places them in a variety of revealing contexts. The result is cultural criticism at its finest: informative, committed, passionate, humane. (Claude J. Summers )
Before reading this book, I thought I appreciated the achievements of Brokeback Mountain. I am grateful for Eric Patterson's passionate and richly insightful illumination — of the story and film as artistic works, and of the cultural realities that informed their creation and fuel their potency. (Will Fellows )
Eric Patterson's book is a success on three levels. It can be read as a companion to understanding the film and story; it can be used as a text in studying the social impact of the film and story at the university level; and whether you are a veteran of our forum discussions or newly struck by Brokeback fever, this book will add an extra dimension to your appreciation of Brokeback Mountain as a masterpiece of modern literature and film. (The Ultimate Brokeback Forum, March 2008 )
When Owen Wister invented the Western in his best-selling 1902 novel, The Virginian, he placed at the heart of the genre the love that "dare not speak its name," with an eastern narrator enamored of a stalwart ex-Virginian. A century later, Brokeback Mountain caused a critical eruption in its frank exploration of the passion that has always been a part of cowboy life. The triumph of Eric Patterson’s study of both Proulx’s story and Ang Lee’s film is to show how fully the narrative of Jack and Ennis is a part of our national romance. In nuanced chapters, Patterson explores a series of related issues—the elegy, histories of homosexuality, Whitman’s poetry, romantic love, ranging in the process from Virgil’s Eclogues to Kinsey’s studies of sexuality—all in an effort to understand at once the triumph of Brokeback Mountain as narrative and its separate stylistic achievements, as well as the torrent of slurs against its basic premise. Patterson is an impassioned reader, though never intemperate, and through a careful accumulation of readings of every aspect of both story and film, makes his case simply, successfully, elegantly, that this is not only a triumph of the genre, but a masterpiece in its own right. (Lee C. Mitchell )
Eric Patterson has created...[a] reader-friendly examination of the short story and the film adaptation....Brokeback fans will want to read this thorough analysis....Patterson's book is a powerful tribute to the story and film. (The Gay and Lesbian Review )
Well researched and nicely written ... insightful not only into the Brokeback Mountain narrative but also into the troubling history of sexual prejudice. (The Journal Of American Culture, March 2009 )
About the Author
Eric Patterson is associate professor of American Studies and American Literature at Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A rich, passionate examination of a timeless film...,
By RMS "Cinephile Ryan" (Boston, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: On Brokeback Mountain: Meditations about Masculinity, Fear, and Love in the Story and the Film (Hardcover)
Every once in a while a film comes along that changes your life forever. From box-office phenomenons (Titanic, Star Wars), to literature inspired wonders (The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter), to adult-themed hits (Fatal Attraction, The Silence of the Lambs, The Graduate), to "personal" marvels (The Color Purple, The Piano, Schindler's List) certain films have proven to transcend mere strips of celluloid and make a genuine impact on the world. Brokeback Mountain has proven to be one of those films. From the many awards it won to the numerous websites now dedicated to it ([...]), Brokeback Mountain has produced a passionate, enduring following.
With "On Brokeback Mountain," author Eric Patterson has achieved a remarkable feat in not only condensing the phenomenon of Brokeback into such a fine volume, but managing to do so less then three years after the film's release. All of the chapters present well-researched and interesting perspectives on different areas of study concerning both the film and it's effects on society. The book provides a nuanced look at such topics as the aesthetics of the film, it's tremendous cultural impact as well as homosexuality in literature and history. Patterson has contributed scholarly and thought-provoking work here; illuminating the point of intersection between a timeless work of cinematic art and gender studies. "On Brokeback Mountain" is a rich, passionate text that allows one to appreciate the story and film even further.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very interesting book re a truly great film/story,
By K. Anez. (US) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: On Brokeback Mountain: Meditations about Masculinity, Fear, and Love in the Story and the Film (Paperback)
I get emotional about BBM. 1st, I LOVE the film. Oh, I like Ms. Proulx's story too, but I LOVE the film. It had such an effect on me; I can't forget it. Theauthor's book is very insightful in its meditations as they are stated on the cover. BBM is a love story, plain and simple. But also a very tragic love story that hits you in the heart, with such a wallop.
The author delves into western history of the plains, farm boys, bleak towns, the lives of total, complete unhappiness of Ennis and Jack by just not being together, and the ever-present homophobia existing then. He gives deserved credit to the superb acting of Heath & Jake, beautiful direction, screenplay, score, etc., and of course to the original story too. Well, I could go on and say what I think about that so-called rotten, hostile "academy" and what they (and many others) did to BBM (I hope you know what I mean). But that would take up too much space!!
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book for Breaking down Brokeback,
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This review is from: On Brokeback Mountain: Meditations about Masculinity, Fear, and Love in the Story and the Film (Paperback)
I bought this book for a paper on Brokeback Mountain. This book gave me much insight to the situation and forces at hand at the time of the movie.
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