Writing
Erick DuPree’s blog explores the intersections of anthropology, literature, and material culture to illuminate how identity, ritual, and meaning take shape across time and tradition. Blending scholarship with storytelling, these essays invite readers to engage critically and imaginatively with the cultural forces that shape both personal and collective experience.
Jane Austen’s Gentlemen: Masculinity and the Marriage Market in Regency England
Explore how Jane Austen's novels reveal the hidden politics of masculinity and marriage. Far from fairy tales, her stories expose the economic and social pressures shaping gender and courtship in Regency England.
It’s Okay To Be Angry
A powerful personal essay on queer masculinity, anger, and healing. Erick DuPree explores male wounds, the hero’s journey, and why masculinity isn’t toxic by nature—but in need of community, kinship, and care. Reclaiming manhood starts with letting ourselves be angry.
What Exactly Does It Mean To Be “Man Enough?”
A personal essay exploring fatherlessness, gender norms, and queer identity—unpacking what it means to be “man enough” in a world that punishes softness and fetishizes masculinity.
Caged Beasts and Broken Gods: The Byronic Hero and the Erotics of Gothic Masculinity
Explore the Byronic hero of Gothic fiction—tortured, magnetic, and dangerously masculine. This essay unpacks how stoicism, pain, and emotional repression became eroticized traits, revealing the dark roots of masculine fantasy, dominance, and the myth of redemptive love.
Review of The Leatherman’s Handbook: Golden Anniversary Edition by Larry Townsend
A bold, personal review of The Leatherman’s Handbook: Golden Anniversary Edition by Larry Townsend. This foundational leather and BDSM classic remains vital for queer history, kink ethics, and radical consent. A must-read for leatherfolk and the kink-curious alike.
Herman Melville’s Longing: Queer Desire and the Love That Dare Not Speak
Explore the queer undertones in Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick and his passionate bond with Nathaniel Hawthorne. This essay unpacks homoerotic longing, emotional repression, and how Melville’s fiction encodes same-sex desire in the language of obsession and the sublime.
Review of Swole: The Making of Men and the Meaning of Muscle by Michael Andor Brodeur
Swole is more than just a book for men, and certainly more than a book about the gym. It’s for anyone who’s ever felt out of place in their own skin, or questioned the messages the world sends about how a body should look.
The Rambo Myth: How America Turned a War Criminal into a Hero
Rambo began as a brutal critique of war but became a symbol of American exceptionalism and toxic masculinity. This essay exposes how Hollywood rewrote a war criminal into a hero—and what that says about our need for moral clarity and mythic manhood.
Review of King, Warrior, Magician, Lover — Rediscovering the Inner Architecture of Masculinity
A powerful exploration of the male psyche through four core archetypes—King, Warrior, Magician, Lover. This personal review of Moore and Gillette’s classic offers insight into mature masculinity, emotional integration, and inner balance. A must-read for men on a journey of self-discovery.
He-Man to Hypermasc: The Cultural Mythology of 1980s Boyhood
How 1980s icons like He-Man and G.I. Joe shaped hypermasculine ideals for boys—and how queer kids navigated shame, fantasy, and survival under the shadow of these powerful myths.
Review of Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work by Matthew Crawford
A powerful reflection on manual labor, identity, and meaning, Shop Class as Soulcraft explores how working with your hands can restore dignity, purpose, and connection in modern life.
Review of The Adonis Complex — A Must-Read on Male Body Image and Cultural Masculinity
The Adonis Complex exposes the hidden crisis of male body image issues—from muscle dysmorphia to steroid abuse. A must-read for anyone exploring masculinity, fitness culture, or men’s mental health. This powerful book reveals the emotional cost of chasing the "ideal" male body.
Review of Iron John by Robert Bly: A Mythic Journey into True Masculinity
A poetic and personal reflection on Robert Bly’s Iron John, exploring masculinity through myth, emotion, and initiation. A must-read for men seeking depth, purpose, and healing. True strength lies in feeling—this book shows the way.
Rebuilding Manhood: How Collecting GI Joe Helped Me Reclaim a Lost Identity
Exploring the cultural legacy of 1980s G.I. Joe and He-Man, this essay reveals how adult collectors reclaim these toys to redefine masculinity—shifting from domination to resilience, kindness, and vulnerability through the ritual of restoring childhood heroes.