Perspectives

Putting “Manhood” by John Wain into perspective is very important, as it can help you understand the literary period in which it was written, as well as how its themes were explored differently in other literary works.

Literary period

Published in 1980, the short story “Manhood” belongs to the literary current called Modernism, which implies a detachment from idyllic stories and a tendency of Modernist authors to focus on real-life situations or events.

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Works with the same theme

The theme of broken communication – especially between father and son – has been extensively explored in many literary works. To better understand this theme, we recommend you read several stories.

For example, you could read Ernest Hemingway’s “A Day’s Wait”.

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