Victorian Masculinity In The Victorian Era

Our Understanding of the term masculinity changed through the Ages. People confuse masculinity usually with sex or the biological anatomy of a a man. Even though “genitalia does not necessarily make a man”. (Emma Foye Quinn 4) Almost every man was already confronted with Phrases like “grow a pair” or “man up”, used when men do not fullfil the expectations of our present day society.(1) Men are supposed to have a though mentality. We think of certain characteristics a man should offer to be considered a “real man”. But how did theses norms and characteristics evolve? To answer this Question this Paper will start at the Victorian Era where studies about masculinity were first in focus.
The following Paper will focus on masculinity and the Perception of “manliness”.
First the concept of Victorian masculinity itself and its origin shall be defined with the help of secondary literature on the subject. The combination of theoretical approaches by Emma Foye Quinn, from Bucknell University and several other authors will provide an insight into the subject of Victorian
In the focus of Downton Abbey is the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants, witnessing the big events in history and their great effects on their lives and on the British society in General. The second Season, which this Paper will mainly revolve around, centers around the First World War in which the gender roles were manifested. The seasons suspenseful plot and role development make it an interesting subject in many fields of research. With regard to masculinity, the Series offers many analyzable elements like the main male roles. The following paper will show the proceeding shifts to different kinds of manliness and major differences between them into focus to investigate the masculine message behind