Male romanticism
Summed up perfectly in both the title & the content of the book
Male romanticism consists in
- being brave
- fighting evil
- rescuing damsels in distress
There may be faintly, in the background, an awareness that rescuing fair maiden may - aw shucks - bring reward
Oh - & dont forget the magic of machines
Also pretty well summed up, now that I think of it, in the Cadburys Milk Tray ads of a few years back
For girls, the romance lay in the box of chocolates
For boys, romance lay in abseiling down the mountain
And it is a sad but true fact, that boys can sometimes make the same mistake as the hunter tom who proudly lays a dead field mouse or shrew at your feet. In the expectation or receiving your gratitude & admiration for his prowess