Representing Aged Masculinity in Eighteenth-century England: The 'Old Man' of Medical Advice.

Investigating the previously neglected relationship between aging and masculinity in eighteenth-century England, this article examines representations of old men in medical advice literature. Acknowledging that 'politeness' shaped hegemonic codes of masculinity in this period, the article introduces the alternative concept of 'cheerfulness' as a behavioural code for older men. Although in many ways the rhetoric of cheerfulness allowed men to retain a 'polite' identity in later life, the trope also signalled a fundamental distancing of old men from their younger counterparts. This suggests that aging had great potential to affect what it meant to be a 'man' in eighteenth-century terms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]