Title: Demolishing Post-9/11 Male Myth: On the Counter-narrative of Masculinity in A Disorder Peculiar to the Country

Abstract: Ken Kalfus’s A Disorder Peculiar to the Country is regarded as one of the first satirical Post-9/11 novels, and it juxtaposes personal affairs with national events to expose Post-9/11 American problems. This paper interprets the novel from the perspective of masculinity, and explores how the novel, through narrating a torturing divorce, satirizes American society, demolishes the male myth constructed by the mainstream media after September 11 which is featured with hero narrative and portray female victims to replaces the demonstration of masculine disorder. This process is represented by the “self-made man” out of control, the depressed hypermasculinity of FBI agent, and bankrupt protection of “vulnerable maidens”. It is discovered that the novel successfully realizes a counter-narrative of male writing, and presents the author’s views against American government’s security strategy and war of counter-terrorism.

Keywords: Ken Kalfus, A Disorder Peculiar to the Country, masculinity, Post-9/11, counter-narrative

Author: Ronglan Wu, Associate Professor, Zhejiang Shuren University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.