Introduction : popular representations of active masculinity since the late 1960s -- 1. Armchair thrills and the new adventurer -- 2. "I married Rambo" : action, spectacle, and melodrama -- 3. Omega men : late 1960s and early 1970s action heroes -- 4. Airport fiction : the men of mass-market literature -- 5. Restaging heroic masculinity : Jackie Chan and the Hong Kong action film -- Conclusion : the future of active masculinity
Summary
Action genres have been Hollywood's most profitable global exports for most of its history, their male heroes the subject of much fascination and derision. This book takes stock of action narratives' many appeals and recognizes how crises of gender identity manifest themselves in popular commercial texts
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 223-226) and index
