Disappearing Men: Gender Disorientation in Scottish Fiction, 1979 - 1999

Scottish Cultural Review of Language and Literature #12

by Carole Jones

Disappearing Men examines the complex and rebellious representations of gender in the work of several writers of 'devolutionary' Scottish fiction in the period 1979 to 1999. The study focuses on the context of a 'crisis in masculinity' accompanying the rapidly changing male role in the period, concluding that men often disappear from sight in this writing, highlighting issues of male insecurity and female disorientation in a new gender landscape. Hence the novels examined here by authors James Kelman, Jancie Galloway, Jackie Kay, A.L. Kennedy and Alan Warner, strongly challenge the stereotype of the Scottish 'hardman' and his dominance in 20th century Scottish fiction.

Disappearing Men dissects this challenge by giving major consideration to the relationship between the innovative literary forms often found in this writing and the concepts of selfhood they give rise to. The possibilities inherent in these texts of reimagining gender identity and relations make them important contemporary documents of our struggles with realising selfhood and relations with others. A sustained and intimate analysis, this monograph will be of crucial interest to those concerned with issues of gender and representation in our rapidly changing era.

208 pages, Paperback

First published September 10, 2009

About the author

Dr. Carole Jones is Honorary Fellow in the Department of English and Scottish Literature at the University of Edinburgh, where she was Senior Lecturer from 2008, teaching contemporary Scottish fiction. Published widely on contemporary Scottish and other authors, including Nan Shepherd, Muriel Spark, James Kelman, Jenni Fagan and Shola von Reinhold, her Disappearing Men: Gender, Disorientation in Scottish Fiction 1979 - 1999 (2009) was published by Rodopi.