American naturalism and the Jews : Garland, Norris, Dreiser, Wharton, and Cather / Donald Pizer.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Pizer, Donald.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

American literature--20th century--History and criticism.

American literature.

American literature--19th century--History and criticism.

Jews in literature.

Antisemitism in literature.

Naturalism in literature.

Authors, American--20th century--Political and social views.

Authors, American.

Authors, American--19th century--Political and social views.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (110 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Urbana : University of Illinois Press, c2008.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

American Naturalism and the Jews examines the unabashed anti-Semitism of five notable American naturalist novelists otherwise known for their progressive social values. Hamlin Garland, Frank Norris, and Theodore Dreiser all pushed for social improvements for the poor and oppressed, while Edith Wharton and Willa Cather both advanced the public status of women. But they all also expressed strong prejudices against the Jewish race and faith throughout their fiction, essays, letters, and other writings, producing a contradiction in American literary history that has stymied scholars and, until now, gone largely unexamined. In this breakthrough study, Donald Pizer confronts this disconcerting strain of anti-Semitism pervading American letters and culture, illustrating how easily prejudice can coexist with even the most progressive ideals. Pizer shows how these writers' racist impulses represented more than just personal biases, but resonated with larger social and ideological movements within American culture. Anti-Semitic sentiment motivated such various movements as the western farmers' populist revolt and the East Coast patricians' revulsion against immigration, both of which Pizer discusses here. This antagonism toward Jews and other non-Anglo-Saxon ethnicities intersected not only with these authors' social reform agendas but also with their literary method of representing the overpowering forces of heredity, social or natural environment, and savage instinct.

Contents:

""front cover""; ""Title Page""; ""Copyright Page""; ""Table of Contents""; ""Acknowledgments""; ""Introduction""; ""1. Hamlin Garland""; ""2. Frank Norris""; ""3. Theodore Dreiser""; ""4. Edith Wharton and Willa Cather""; ""Epilogue""; ""Notes""; ""Works Cited""; ""Index""; ""back cover""

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [77]-83) and index.

ISBN:

9786613895578

9781283583121

1283583127

9780252092176

0252092171

OCLC:

1156422803