Masculinities in Austrian Contemporary Literature

Book excerpt: Masculinities in Austrian Contemporary Literature: Strategic Evasion shows the important contribution that literature can make to the understanding of masculinities, by offering insights into the mental structures of hegemonic masculinity. It argues that while there is evidence of frustrating hegemonic masculinities, contemporary Austrian literature offers few positive images of alternative masculinity. The texts simultaneously criticize and present fantasies of hegemonic masculinity and as such provide a space for ambiguity and evasion. While providing readers with an in-depth study of the works of the authors Daniel Kehlmann, Doron Rabinovici and Arno Geiger, Matthias Eck elaborates the concept of strategic evasion. In order to bridge the gap between the ideal of masculinity and reality the male characters adopt two strategies of evasion: evasion to hide a softer and gentler side, and evasion into a world of fantasy where they pretend to live up to the ideal of hegemonic masculinity.