The Discursive Construction of Masculine Identity In Literature: Toward a Theoretical And Methodological Framework

This chapter argues that masculine identity in literary texts should be examined not merely as a represented social or psychological category, but as a formation constructed through discursive, narrative, and symbolic processes. Seeking to establish a methodological dialogue between masculinity studies and literary theory, it brings together Raewyn Connell’s concept of hegemonic masculinity, Judith Butler’s theory of gender performativity, and Pierre Bourdieu’s account of symbolic domination with the discourse theories of Dominique Maingueneau and Patrick Charaudeau and Vladimir Propp’s understanding of narrative functions. Building on these theoretical perspectives, the chapter proposes a five-level analytical model for examining the construction of masculine identity in literature: lexical and semantic markers, enunciative positioning, narrative functions, symbolic power relations, and processes of identity crisis or transformation. Rather than treating masculinity as a fixed and universal essence, the proposed framework approaches it as a historically situated and continually negotiated identity, produced, legitimised, challenged, and transformed through linguistic choices, narrative structures, social hierarchies, and cultural norms. The chapter thus seeks to develop an interdisciplinary methodological framework applicable to literary texts across different historical periods and genres.