Imperfect symmetries: male friendship as an open space between literature and the unlearning of gender norms

Abstract

This contribution explores the pedagogical value of male friendship in the coming-of-age novel, with a focus on the works of Fred Uhlman and Andrea De Carlo, where friendship emerges as a gesture of affective resistance against an inhospitable school institution and a male emotional socialization marked by silence and detachment. The essay places the Bildungsroman in dialogue with philosophical and pedagogical reflections on identity, gender, and the formative power of narrative, highlighting how friendship constitutes a liminal and transformative experience. Through engagement with educational and narrative literature—particularly concerning gender differences and contemporary relational dynamics—the essay proposes a vision of friendship as a critical and generative space, capable of educating toward freedom, vulnerability, and the complexity of human connection.