Distinctive Representation Of Jewishness

Book Summary

Jewish American literature holds an essential place in the literary history of the United States. It is supposed to be the first ethnic literature that achieved great influence in the U.S. and reached its mature expression in the post-war "Jewish American novels" of Henry Roth, Saul Bellow, J.D. Salinger, Norman Mailer, Bernard Malamud, Chaim Potok, and Philip Roth. This book concentrates on the work of the triad of authors - Bellow, Potok and Malamud. It explores the cultural pulls between secular society and Jewish tradition which were acutely felt by the immigrants who passed through Ellis Island and by their children and grandchildren. Their work is also analyzed in the context of Earl H. Rovit's theory of "applicable past" which stresses the advantage of the cultural distinctiveness of immigrant authors whose background might serve as a goldmine for fictional themes. The analysis should reveal the ways in which these authors are concerned with Jewishness and the intentions the authors have for its interpretation. This book is meant for anyone who is interested in the ethnic cultural diversity and its influence on the creative writing such as fiction.

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