A lot of writers have commented in recent months on the state of the American literary man. Do men read fiction anymore? Do they have any chance in today’s climate of successfully writing fiction? I didn’t want to wade too deeply into that discussion, given the amount of back and forth already abroad on the web, so chose instead, in my latest article, to focus on the “Crisis of the Male Protagonist.”
There are many reasons to read fiction. One big one is to relate emotionally and existentially to the characters. “We read to know we are not alone,” said C.S. Lewis’ character, played by Anthony Hopkins, in The Shadowlands.
We also read, though, to look up to moral exemplars. Think Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird, or Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings. These are characters I would someday like to resemble a bit more in my own life. They aren’t perfect, by any means, but in many aspects, are worth imitating. We read to abet loneliness, but also to find models of genuine excellence.
In this article, I ask where young men can look to, both in contemporary fiction and the broader media landscape, for role models. I argue that fathers have major roles to play in bringing up virtuous young men, but that we can also call attention to the many characters in literature and film who do offer positive portraits of men—heroes who lay their lives down for others.
Many thanks to The Dispatch for publishing the article, and to Valerie Pavilonis, who made it a lot better through her editorial guidance.
And thank you for reading and supporting my work!
Let's go Peter!