Iron John by Robert Bly
"Iron John" by Robert Bly is a transformative work that draws on a German fairy tale recorded by the Brothers Grimm. The story revolves around a wild man, captured and imprisoned, who ultimately becomes a metaphor for masculine development. Bly interprets the tale as a means for men to reconnect with their lost vitality and navigate various stages of growth. The book was published in 1990 and quickly gained popularity, becoming a cornerstone of the men's movement, which encouraged men to participate in retreats and engage with mythology and literature for personal empowerment.
Bly's approach intertwines mythology, psychology, and history, reflecting on the cultural and emotional dimensions of masculinity. Despite its success, "Iron John" has faced criticism for its perceived misogynistic undertones and its appeal to a specific demographic. Bly's work emphasizes his support for women's rights, aiming to foster an understanding of masculinity that is neither oppressive nor dismissive of gender equality. The book's influence persists, as it remains a touchstone for discussions around male identity and the complexities of gender dynamics.
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Subject Terms
Iron John by Robert Bly
Identification Mythopoetic men’s movement book
Author Robert Bly (1926- )
Date Published in 1990
Bly’s book, an international best seller that has been translated into many languages, is credited with starting the mythopoetic (pertaining to myths) men’s movement in the United States, including workshops and retreats for men led by Bly, Michael J. Meade, James Hillman, and others, as well as hundreds of other men’s support groups nationwide.
The title Iron John is derived from a legend set down by the Brothers Grimm in Germany in 1820, but which American poet Robert Bly believes could be many thousands of years old. It is a story of a hairy wild man found in a deep pool in a forest, captured and imprisoned in an iron cage in the courtyard of a king’s house and liberated by the king’s eight-year-old son, whom the wild man takes into the forest, tests in three trials (which the boy fails), and sends out into the world. The king’s son endures reverses and rises in his fortune, finally ending up in true fairy-tale fashion recognized as a royal and married to a king’s daughter. Through his triumph, he liberates from an enchantment the wild man, who turns out to be a rich and powerful king himself.
The term “wild man,” according to Bly, carries with it an enormous amount of historical information, which he details through mythology, theology, psychology, and literature from many cultures through ancient and modern times, all of which add to and explain each other. Bly uses progressive portions of the tale of the wild man/Iron John as a metaphor for different stages of masculine development necessary if modern males are to regain their true direction and their lost vitality.
The book was an immediate success, topping the charts for ten weeks and remaining on the best seller list for a year. It is credited with sparking the men’s movement, in which Bly, Michael J. Meade, James Hillman, and others conducted their own weekend retreats, using poems, fairy tales, and myths to teach men to get in touch with themselves and replace passivity with power. In the preface of his book and in interviews, Bly emphasizes his support of the women’s movement and denies encouraging subjugation of women. Nevertheless, feminists charged that the movement was misogynist, the media made fun of it, and some critics felt it was based on and designed for a small and select group of white well-to-do men.
Bly is characterized as a poet, author, translator, and storyteller. He is credited with more than eighteen books of poetry, seven anthologies, eleven translations, and seven books of nonfiction, of which Iron John: A Book About Men is one.
Impact
Iron John has become synonymous with the men’s movement, including New Warrior Network and Promise Keepers, although their methods and aims may be different. The book and Bly were prominent in the news in the 1990’s, reaping both praise and criticism.
Bibliography
Bly, Robert. Iron John: A Book About Men. Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley, 1990.
Gilmore, David D. Manhood in the Making: Cultural Concepts of Masculinity. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1990.
Keen, Sam. Fire in the Belly: On Being a Man. New York: Bantam Books, 1992.