Mama's boy
Subtitle: momism and homophobia in postwar American culture
By: Roel van den Oever
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan; Springer
Published: 2012
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 214
ISBN-13: 9781137274052
Subjects: History and criticism; Gay men in motion pictures; Gays in popular culture; Motherhood in popular culture; American fiction; Homophobia; Mothers and sons in literature; History
Description: "In postwar America, the discourse of 'Momism' advanced the idea that an over-affectionate or too-distant mother hampers the social and psychosexual development of her children, in particular her sons. Deemed worst of all was the outcome of homosexuality, since the period saw an intense policing of sexual deviance. Roel van den Oever zooms in on four instances of the cultural representation of Momism: The grotto, by Grace Zaring Stone, Suddenly last summer, by Tennessee Williams, Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, and Portnoy's complaint, by Philip Roth, to offer new commentary on canonical texts, a particular moment in American culture, and future reading strategies."--P. [4] of cover.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references.
Table of contents: title: Momism and the lavender scare; title: Oppositional reading and The grotto; title: Narrative closure and Suddenly last summer; title: Character engagement and Psycho; title: Laughter/ridicule and Portnoy's complaint.