Masculinity In Dime Literature

Gender is not a concept that is frequently discussed in the context of dime literature. This is partly due to the relative newness of gender as a category of historical analysis and partly because dime novels – which emerged during nineteenth century labor struggles – compel analysis through lens of class conflict (den). While class does provide a useful paradigm for understanding patterns of domination and marginalization in American society, it is not the only relevant framework. By using masculinity as a prism through which to elucidate the stories of Wild West Weekly, I hope to show how dime literature after 1900 reinforced social hierarchies through the dominant ideal of middle-class masculinity. **In order to place my research in context I will review the rise of dime novels and the existing literature**
Popular culture is something that, for better or worse, unites American society. It provides us with points of reference to relate to one another and influences how we think, behave, and interact with other people. From 1850 onwards, the flood of dime novels poured in on the American reading public. Inspired by innovations in technology that lowered the costs of printing and distribution, publishers such as Frank Tousey and Beadle & Adams initiated new weekly story papers that could be sold for ten cents or less. Dime novels were printed on cheap paper in newspaper format and contained 30 to 50 thousand words of sensational fiction (cite). The stories were usually serialized, their cliffhanger endings designed to whet the appetite of the American public to ensure they bought the next installment. Dime novels were cheap enough that children could purchase them. Indeed, children and adolescents made up a sizeable portion of th...

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**At the turn of the century there are multiple forms of masculinity operating in American society – There is middle-class Victorian genteel manhood, which demonstrates ideal masculinity through self-restraint, piety, purity, chivalry, moral fortitude, sincerity, law and order (I could use my research on advice manuals to support this). By contrast, “working class men have often turned to public rituals of manhood such as drinking and fighting and swearing to demonstrate their manliness, behaviors which show a decided lack of restraint” (moore7). Using Denning’s framework of dominant and marginalized cultures, “hegemonic masculinity” is the dominant form of manhood in a society at any given time. **articulated by dominant elites (mid class), disseminated and reinforced through the structures of their power** eg. Printing press enforcing “superior” dominant masc.