Representation of Alternate Masculinities in Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Abstract

Masculinity and its practice in contemporary life cannot be divorced from the constructions of masculinity that are dictated by traditional hegemonic assumptions of machismo that centre on the definition of being a man in the 21st century. This paper takes contemporary popular young adult novel Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Sáenz, 2012) to delineate how adolescent boys in their daily lives practice masculinity, identity, and existence. The novel is further scrutinised vis-à-vis the protagonists in the novel who negotiate their identities and their sexualities keeping in mind the heteronormativity and the pressures presented by hegemonic masculinity in school spaces. The novel is examined for any alternate ways of being queer, male, and masculine through the protagonists’ navigation of their daily lives, their relations with their family and the analysis of anger within machismo discourses.