- Title:
- Man behaving badly: humour and the (re)presentation of masculinities in late Victorian British popular culture, 1885-1895
- Creator:
- Wood, L. Maren
- Date Created:
- 2004
- Degree Awarded:
- Master of Arts
- Subjects:
- humour power class
- Geographical Focus:
- Britain
- Supporting Materials:
- n/a
- Description:
- This thesis argues humour was a valuable cultural expression that mediated power- relationships in late nineteenth-century Britain. I focus on the intersection of class and gender to demonstrate how humour subverted and reinforced dominant ideas governing manly behaviour and class distinctions. This study utilises a selection of visual and textual sources from popularly circulated comic publications. I emphasise throughout that visual and textual sources are equal communicators in (re)presenting cultural meanings, and in so doing, challenge the textist approach to the study of Victorian society. While historians recognise the importance of visual sources, images are too often given secondary consideration. Similarly, although historians use comic sources few consider how humour functioned in historical periods. By considering the convergence of class, gender, and humour in cartoons and satire, this thesis uniquely contributes to the study of Victorian popular culture and demonstrates the validity of humour in the studying of the past.
Source
- Preferred Citation:
- Wood, L. Maren. 2004. "Man behaving badly: humour and the (re)presentation of masculinities in late Victorian British popular culture, 1885-1895", Department of History, Carleton University
- Link to this page:
- https://cuhistory.github.io/grads/items/hist_163.html
Rights
- Rights:
- Copyright the author, all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.