In this article I attempt to deconstruct the discursive complex around the subject of the 'underachieving boy', and to critique its composition and effects from a feminist perspective. In addition, I suggest some elements of a feminist perspective on masculinity and schooling, including new research agendas and pedagogic strategies which centralise the importance of the unconscious, social and cognitive processes in situated encounters and the possibility of promoting critical literacy combined with a 'pedagogy of the emotions' as a way forward.