The purpose of this book is to address two principal questions: 'Was the concept of masculinity a topic of debate for the Victorians?' and 'Why is Victorian literature full of images of male deviance when Victorian masculinity is defined by discipline?' In his introduction, Dowling defines Victorian masculinity in terms of discipline. He then addresses the central question of why an official ideal of manly discipline in the nineteenth century co-existed with a literature that is full of images of male deviance. In answering this question, he develops a notion of 'hegemonic deviance', whereby...

Spain, one of Europe's oldest nation-states, is in serious difficulty with Catalan secession becoming the most important issue as economic recovery is gradually achieved. During the 20th Century Catalonia was frequently cited as a model for the successful devolution of power from central government to the regions and seemed to embody the successful construction of a political community based on autonomy within a state but the new century has been marked by an ever-growing independence movement. Pro-independence mobilization has produced a rupture in political relations with the rest of Spain...