One of the valuable things from reading older literature is that it allows a person to briefly step outside of the cultural milieu—rot—of the modern West.
It is revealing that the late-modern treatment of male heroes is to emphasize (or impose!) hesitancy and self-questioning; they must have a "character arc" that includes major mistakes and learning self-restraint - while female heroes never make major mistakes and their "arc" is all about unleashing the overpowered girlboss they always were.
FWIW, I read the entire Barsoom series in high school and have reread most of it over the years. Burroughs is much underrated (although I did not enjoy Tarzan nearly as much as I enjoyed Barsoom), and the Barsoom series is regarded with amusement by the "literati," even back then. I think the film did a reasonable job of adaptation, given the way Hollywood has always handled literary classics. Too bad the studio did such a bad job of publicity and release.
One quibble, Dostoyevsky was not nihilistic. His work has nihilistic characters, but they're not the good guys, at least not the ones who revel in their nihilism. His overarching project was anti-nihilist.
Great article, Isaac; thanks. Regarding traditional masculinity, I’d like to give a shout-out to the old-school Hollywood director Howard Hawks. Hawks portrays masculinity in a positive light, particularly in terms of leadership, camaraderie, and teamwork. Two films of his stand out to me: The Thing from Another World (1951) and Hatari! (1962). Both films feature a well-functioning team of men led by a strong Alpha male who is well-liked and respected by his subordinates. How often do you see teamwork among men in modern stories?
Unfortunately, anime and manga, which have become popular in the West among young people, are not exactly sending a lot of positive messages about masculinity. A lot of anime/manga creators are misfits and social outcasts who have Daddy Issues and hate male authority figures. They also tend to view their male peers suspiciously: not as potential friends and teammates, but as rivals and bullies.
A return to masculine virtue in storytelling is a must.
I do think one path forward is for artists to show what it might look like for emasculated men to reclaim their vitality in a world that is hostile to it. That's not going to give us Achilles on page one, but it could chart a course from here to there.
Well said.
It is revealing that the late-modern treatment of male heroes is to emphasize (or impose!) hesitancy and self-questioning; they must have a "character arc" that includes major mistakes and learning self-restraint - while female heroes never make major mistakes and their "arc" is all about unleashing the overpowered girlboss they always were.
FWIW, I read the entire Barsoom series in high school and have reread most of it over the years. Burroughs is much underrated (although I did not enjoy Tarzan nearly as much as I enjoyed Barsoom), and the Barsoom series is regarded with amusement by the "literati," even back then. I think the film did a reasonable job of adaptation, given the way Hollywood has always handled literary classics. Too bad the studio did such a bad job of publicity and release.
One quibble, Dostoyevsky was not nihilistic. His work has nihilistic characters, but they're not the good guys, at least not the ones who revel in their nihilism. His overarching project was anti-nihilist.
Great article, Isaac; thanks. Regarding traditional masculinity, I’d like to give a shout-out to the old-school Hollywood director Howard Hawks. Hawks portrays masculinity in a positive light, particularly in terms of leadership, camaraderie, and teamwork. Two films of his stand out to me: The Thing from Another World (1951) and Hatari! (1962). Both films feature a well-functioning team of men led by a strong Alpha male who is well-liked and respected by his subordinates. How often do you see teamwork among men in modern stories?
Unfortunately, anime and manga, which have become popular in the West among young people, are not exactly sending a lot of positive messages about masculinity. A lot of anime/manga creators are misfits and social outcasts who have Daddy Issues and hate male authority figures. They also tend to view their male peers suspiciously: not as potential friends and teammates, but as rivals and bullies.
Quite an inspirational article. I look forward to reading more from Isaac Young on this topic.
A return to masculine virtue in storytelling is a must.
I do think one path forward is for artists to show what it might look like for emasculated men to reclaim their vitality in a world that is hostile to it. That's not going to give us Achilles on page one, but it could chart a course from here to there.