"What would it have made of me?”: Gender and National Identities in “The Jolly Corner

Drawing on Masculinity Studies and Queer Theory, the essay reads 'The Jolly Corner' as a sophisticated exploration of alternative masculinites in the light of the hegemonic model of the U.S. self-made man. Geopolitical borders and national identities are given prominence in the story through the constant reference to Europe as a space of possibilities and freedom that would have been curbed by a choice to remain in the U.S., while heteronormative masculinity itself is unveiled as just another instance of gender performativity.