ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a selective account of the historical entanglement between humans and sharks, and considers the role of language, discourse and the media in shaping this narrative, particularly in Australia. It discusses the ways in which gender and sexuality play out in accounts of human interactions with sharks, focusing particularly on the construction of Australian frontier masculinities in the face of threats posed by nature. The chapter also argues that new ways of thinking about sharks and their environmental significance have emerged in contemporary media accounts of shark activities in Australian waters.
