Overview

This book shows how interpretations of suicidal motives were guided by gendered expectations of behaviour, and that these expectations were constructed to create meaning and understanding for family, friends and witnesses. Providing an insight into how people of this era understood suicidal behaviour and motives, it challenges the assertion that suicide was seen as a distinctly feminine act, and that men who took their own lives were feminized as a result. Instead, it shows that masculinity was understood in a more nuanced way than gender binaries allow, and that a man’s masculinity was measured against other men. Focusing on four common narrative types; the love-suicide, the unemployed suicide, the suicide of the fraudster or speculator, and the suicide of the dishonoured solider, it provides historical context to modern discussions about the crisis of masculinity and rising male suicide rates. It reveals that narratives around male suicides are not so different today as they were then, and that our modern model of masculinity can be traced back to the 19th century.

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9781350264922

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How has meaning been ascribed to male suicide? What reasons have been given by the men themselves? This fascinating study of suicide explores masculine desire and dishonour, destitution and military disgrace. It is a 'must read' for people curious about death, masculinity, and self-destruction. --Joanna Bourke, Professor of History, Birkbeck, University of London, England The finest work that has yet appeared on suicide in 19th century Britain. At one level it is an engrossing study of the emotional, economic and professional precipitants. But in giving equal attention to how the public strove to make sense of these tragedies, Lyndsay Galpin sheds new light on the contemporary cultures of masculinity. --John Tosh, Emeritus Professor of History, University of Roehampton, UK

Author Information

Lyndsay Galpin is a cultural historian of masculinity and suicide. She received her PhD from Royal Hollway, University of London, UK, which was funded by the Friendly Hand.

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