So I've read a lot of the classics – The Odyssey, Ulysses, Great Expectations, Treasure Island, Robinson Crusoe, Huck Finn, A Passage to India, Great Gatsby, Pride and Prejudice. As avid readers will know, the masculinity represented by this sample aren't always unproblematic, but some of them are also the closest to non toxic masculinity (Hello, Mr Darcy). I would also put Shakespeare (Romeo) in this group too.
I am a trans man looking for books on non toxic (cis) masculinity that is also complex, and not just a woman's fantasy. I am currently reading The sorrows of young Werther and The Death of Vivek Oji, but those hurt too much. I want to read about non toxic masculinity and feel happy.
essentially, I want good male role models and see how they process things emotionally, basically like Mr Darcy.
by oopsy-daisy6837
7 Comments
My vote to The Gentleman in Moscow. Its literally in the name! 😀
Lord of the Rings
Watership Down?
Dorothy L Sayers’ Lord Peter Wimsey is a pretty non-toxic role model, though not completely flawless.
“Project Hail Mary”, by Andy Weir. The MC’s flaws come out slowly, as you get more of his backstory, but what I like about the book AND the movie adaptation is that he is not stoic. He is afraid and emotional and ultimately does brave things anyway.
You already mentioned P&P, but Sense & Sensibility and Emma both offer other quality male personalities. S&S has someone who was shy and had been impulsive in his youth but committed to doing the honorable thing no matter the personal cost…. And someone else who does NOT actively pursue a woman whom he can tell is not interested in him (even though the family could have probably pressured it into happening). Emma demonstrates a transition from a more “big brother” figure to a love interest in a slow-burn way. He gets upset at her because he wants her to be the best version of herself and he sees her giving in to her baser impulses.
To kill a mockingbird