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Manliness
 
 
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Manliness (Hardcover)

~ Professor Harvey C. Mansfield (Author) "Today the very word manliness seems quaint and obsolete..." (more)
Key Phrases: Betty Friedan, John Wayne, Simone de Beauvoir (more...)
3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Harvard government professor Mansfield delves into philosophy, literature and science to define manliness and to argue that it should have a place in an increasingly non-gender-specific society. Throughout, Mansfield clearly states his intentions, and though he may have convinced himself he accomplished his goals, readers will be skeptical; when, for example, he sets out to "elevate manliness from aggression to assertion and thereby discover its connection to politics," he jumps from Hemingway to Achilles before posing a question that has little more than a thin patina of importance: "In our time there are many who say that heroes lack humanity and few who will admit that humanity needs heroes. But at all times heroes have to assert themselves. The question is, what is in it for us?" Similar murky questions and non-sequitur lines of logic continue throughout: "Man has fearsome powers of wisdom and fire over beasts. All beasts fear fire, which perhaps represents the Promethean gift of technology." This clunky chain of supposition is followed by a brief foray into The Jungle Book. But Mansfield's theories on gender equality are likely to create the most conversation: "women are the weaker sex," "women's bodies are made to attract and to please men" and "now that women are equal, they should be able to accept being told that they aren't, quite" all appear on the same page. Mansfield set out to write a provocative book, but ended up penning a juvenile screed.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


Review

"Mansfield argues that manliness-in its combination of stubbornness and rationality-provides a ground for political life. His work is a thoughtful attempt to move us to think more clearly about who we are, and about the future of our liberal society."-Mary Nichols, Baylor University (Mary Nichols )

"Annoying at times (often!), but never uninteresting, this book has much of importance to say."-Arlene Saxonhouse, University of Michigan (Arlene Saxonhouse )

"A work of thought as well as a provocation, Manliness deserves to be widely read, argued over, and pondered."- David Bromwich, Yale University (David Bromwich )

"It's a subtle exploration about the virtues and vices of the thymotic urge."-Frank Rich, New York Times (Frank Rich 4. New York Times )

"Mansfield's defense of what, politically, has become indefensible by anyone wanting to keep his reputation intact is most welcome."-Theodore Dalrymple, American Enterprise (Theodore Dalrymple American Enterprise )

"Mansfield argues that efforts in Western society to equalize the status of men and women are doomed to failure."-Kevin Horrigan, St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Kevin Horrigan St. Louis Post-Dispatch )

"[This] new book entitled simply Manliness amounts to a spirited defense of the male psychology."-Joseph R. Phelan, Washington Times (Joseph R. Phelan Washington Times )

"Amusing, refreshing, and outrageous observations. . . . Many readers will be grateful to him for his candor and bravado."-Christina Hoff Somers, Weekly Standard (Christina Hoff Somers Weekly Standard )

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Yale University Press; annotated edition edition (February 6, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0300106645
  • ISBN-13: 978-0300106640
  • Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #512,740 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

More About the Author

Harvey C. Mansfield
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Customer Reviews

43 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.4 out of 5 stars (43 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
225 of 287 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great, important subject to explore, March 6, 2006
By Night Owl (Boston, Mass.) - See all my reviews
For the sake of disclosure, I have not read the entire book yet, but went through it quickly, and know its tone and content. Also, I am a free-thinking, liberal, confident female, who (to paraphrase Mansfield) has studied men all my life (40+ years). I love men, and yet find many of them just tragically confused, unaware of what being a man is all about.

This book is worth reading by anyone who is interested in gender relations -- and aren't we all. It does not appear to me that it is an anti-woman book, as the first Amazon reviewer (below) suggests.

I absolutely agree with Mansfield's opinion that being a man is about having "confidence in risky situations". That negative reviewer was totally on shaky grounds (logic-wise) arguing that it is an insult to women (because to her, it meant that Masfiled thinks that courage is just a masculine trait).

Women can be as courageous, or more, as men. But that's not the issue. The issue is that if you are a woman, and you hapen to be shy, timid, or downright cowardly, you can still feel like a woman -- i.e. feminine, true to your gender.

Courage is not expected of women in our culture to the extent it is expected of men (though I hope it will gradually change because it is a sign of inequality). Many people -- men or women - have a hard time differentiating, on the gut level, between courage that may entail physical danger, and emotional/intellectual courage. Someone who is weaker physically may instinctively shy away from sticking his/her head out.

However, when a man is not courageous or confident, he simply cannot feel like a man, and loses self-respect -- which has a disastrous effect on his life, in his raltionships with women in particular, but also in relation to men; and that negatively affects his overall functioning in society.

I also agree with Mansfiled's assertion that a man cannot be a gentleman until he is a man first (in a true, fully encompassing sense of that world). That is a great insight -- helps me understand why men who are not gentlemen often lack personal courage.

Whether I am going to like or agree with everything in this book, or not, is not that important -- I look forward to reading every page anyway.

What I appreciate is that it has been written by a mature, thinking, outspoken, intellectually accomplished man. Therefore it gives me as a woman invaluable, thought-provoking insights. Worth every penny.
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95 of 128 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Remarkably fine philosophical work, March 21, 2006
This is an extraordinary book,but one written on such an intellectual plane that it seems to me highlighting/underlining is mandatory. In fact, Mansfield addresses Manliness against a backdrop of history and philosophy, from Plato to Hobbes to Machiavelli.

He also addresses Manliness in Art and literature, from Stephan Crane ("The Red Badge of Courage") to the movie "High Noon".

This book seems to be gaining traction and you'll hear increasing references to it, particularly from biased dullards who clearly have not read it. For the record, this book addresses the Bush Administration, War on Terror, or The President not at all. The closest it comes is the single sentence that "Manly politicians strive to do what they think is right; unmanly politicians strive to do what you think is right." If some wish to relate that to the current and previous administrations, they may, but Mansfield does not.

A significant timeless work on the subject, and one that, as Bacon wrote, "needs to be chewed and digested". With a red pen in your hand. Buy it..right now.
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67 of 90 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Serious If Provocative Work, March 6, 2006
A previous reader declares the work "bigotry" but is simply wrong. As one of the few "liberal" students of Professor Mansfield, I can assure readers that such a charge is utterly unfounded. After taking the summer of 1964 to work with SNCC and COFO in Mississippi registering blacks to vote, I returned to Harvard in a state that can only be described as "shellshock." Mansfield both accepted my need to go down to Mississippi and offered his support on my return as a student trying to write a thesis after such an experience. I learned to spot bigots with my eyes closed in Mississippi and Mansfield does not match the description. Faced with clubs, bullets, and dynamite, I needed some detachment--R&R--to recover my humanity. I found it studying with Professor Mansfield. I may not fit the stereotype among his students: I am still a "liberal"--indeed a Quaker (in part because of their attitudes toward blacks and women)--but I never found any lack of respect from Mansfield for my position. I may not agree with him on many points but I do not indulge in ignorant name-calling. Anyone who has read Mansfield's previous books would know they are all worthy of profound consideration. I look forward to reading this one, no matter how much I may differ in my opinions. He is, in language borrowed from Northrup Frye, an "eiron" in the clothing of an "alazon." A little humor and even more wit from prospective readers will go a long way in approaching his books. I will add more after I read the book but I could not bear to see so unjust a characterization in a public place. It would have been "unmanly" for me not to respond with the information I have provided.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Confidence men, not brave men - Ethics are for women - Real men are "beyond good and evil"
I strongly disagree with the arguments and conclusions in Mansfield's book. I give it four stars because it is a well-argued and well-organized book on an important topic... Read more
Published 7 months ago by a Midwest reviewer

2.0 out of 5 stars A desperately needed topic but this is not the answer
This is a frustrating book: it starts off on the wrong foot and never gets straight - yet it does contain a wealth of illuminating insights. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Geoff Bond

5.0 out of 5 stars Go watch Oprah or do Yoga or something
I've been browsing books on men's studies like this one, and I've noticed one thing. A lot of feminists and effeminates have made special effort to drag down the ratings for these... Read more
Published 11 months ago by l. candry

1.0 out of 5 stars Real Men Don't Need To Read A Book For 'Real Men'...
Only the very insecure would wish to read this book as those secure in themselves don't need to real who to be a 'real man' and with this, why men are 'superior' to women. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Alison Daniel

4.0 out of 5 stars Finally ...
A book myself and my 30-something well-educated female friends can understand and relate to. Reason is, we are still single, living in Boston and wondering "Where are the men? Read more
Published on August 4, 2007 by Carrie23

5.0 out of 5 stars Manliness was great research for my book
This book puts to words the thoughts I have always felt about the proper roles for husbands and wives, fathers and sons, men and women. Read more
Published on July 31, 2007 by Michael Mannske

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful, original, and hard hitting
Harvey C. Mansfield does a great job at presenting the current ideology of the gender-neutral society proponent in both a contemporary and historical study. Read more
Published on May 12, 2007 by Matthew Martinez

3.0 out of 5 stars A difficult, at times unreadable, book on a fascinating topic
I have to agree with the reviewers who had trouble working through this dense book - because I sure did. Read more
Published on March 26, 2007 by B. Overby

5.0 out of 5 stars You Will Appreciate This Book if You are not a Brainwashed Moron
I don't own the book yet, but will purchase it after reading the reviews. Here's why.

The negative comments from so-called "progressives" have convinced me it is a... Read more
Published on September 15, 2006 by Knight In Armor

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent work
This book will appeal to many men and women who realize society has chosen the wrong path in experimenting with gender and gender roles. Read more
Published on September 14, 2006 by Nelson

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