Review by Choice Review
This volume is the third in a series of collections from scholars associated with the "law and literature" movement. A broad group of academics contributed, especially judges and literature and law professors. The goal of the series and this book is to examine how literature interprets "norms and stereotypes" and promotes a "fuller understanding of the role played by law in society." Edited by the eminent philosopher Nussbaum (Univ. of Chicago) and law professor Levmore (Univ. of Chicago), the collection attempts to explicate the concept of manliness. The book is organized into two sections: the first part concentrates upon prevailing views of manliness, including essays on Hemingway, Melville, and contemporary works of fiction. The second part of the book contains essays on alternative views of manhood ("outsiders") and includes essays on Jewish masculinity, James Baldwin, Barack Obama, and others. The lack of thematic cohesion and unevenness among the essays constitutes a serious weakness of the volume. Summing Up: Optional. Lower-division undergraduates and above. --H. Lee Cheek, East Georgia State College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
