Dogged Masculinities: Male Subjectivity and Socialist Despair in Kelman and McIlvanney

Abstract

This article examines the treatment of male subjectivity in the work of two leading Scottish writers, analysing the political values and narrative forms which shape their depictions of masculine inwardness. A detailed study of two very similar stories (concerning male fraternity and dog-racing) illustrates significant aesthetic and political contrasts. Their shared affiliation with working-class Scottish culture (and association with 'hard man' archetypes) notwithstanding, Kelman and McIlvanney are shown to respond very differently to the post-war collapse of socialist idealism and communitarian values.