Notions of femininity and masculinity are always relative. Perceptions of masculinity and femininity are usually developed from one's interactions with people. Individuals examine others' fashions, mannerisms, the ways in which men and women relate to one another, and how social roles are prescribed according to gender.
For Stephen Clarke's roman à clef, let's begin to answer this question by using the example of fashion, which is far more important to the French than it is to the English.
In the chapter "Février," or February, Paul and his friends Bob, Ian, and Dave go out to a bar. They meet three Parisian women and begin talking about the differences between Englishmen and Frenchmen. Bob asserts that "all French men are a bit effeminate," which he chalks up to their fondness for "handbags." Marie corrects him: the bags are, in fact, "sacs à main," which literally translates to English as "handbag," though they are more like briefcases with a handle and a shoulder strap. This interest in fashion, a decidedly feminine pursuit, is one reason why Bob diminishes the masculinity of French men.
In this exchange between the men and women, Clarke presents interesting contrasts that buoy the nature of the conversation. Firstly, Bob and "the boys" have beer, while Florence has wine, Viviane a gin and tonic, and Marie "scarily" has "a double rum." Marie's ability to drink straight alcohol is more "masculine" than feminine, as is her overt sexuality. Her sexual boldness is compared to that of Frenchmen who "zey see a woman, she smile at him, he want to fock you direct, allez hop!" Lastly, Ian contrasts French women's laissez-faire attitude to "compliments" from men with that of British women who, he thinks, are more likely to perceive such speech as sexual harassment. In this sense, according to Ian, "French women are feminine without being too feminist." He misunderstands the meaning of feminism hear, which partly exists to question notions of masculinity and femininity and to dismantle prescribed gender roles.
Another instance in the book in which Anglo-French relations could be considered through the prism of masculinity and femininity is in their "Mars," or March, discussion of the impending Iraq War. The French, as we know, were decidedly against it. Stéphanie, Paul's co-worker, is certain that "France's experienced diplomats [will] gain the upper hand at the UN over the 'unsubtle Anglo-Saxon barbarians.'" Paul responds with an attempt at irony that falls flat due to his limited French. Stéphanie's comment not only drudges up the old Anglo-French feud based on the 1066 Norman Conquest—in which the French assumed power over the Anglo-Saxon tribes that populated England and reformed English civilization—but it also addresses a decided lack of refinement in the English. Notions of refinement, particularly the abstention from war and aggression, would be deemed feminine in England.
I do not agree that Clarke emphasizes Paris as a "feminine" city or presents French culture as decidedly "feminine." However, he does show the ways in which English expressions of masculinity and power are different from those of the French. Paul and some of the other male characters in the novel contrast their presentations of masculinity with those of the French and perceive their own masculinity as superior, and more heterosexual. The difference in values between the cultures, particularly the act of going to war, can also be viewed from the gender binary: war is associated with "tough" masculinity, while abstention makes one appear "weak," or more effeminate.
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