Saul-Bellow

SaulBellow（1915-2005）ThemainpointsI.ThehistoryofJewsII.SaulBellowIII.LookingforMr.Green”(1951)I.ThehistoryofJews1.Thehistory:•TheJews,originallyinhabitantsoftheMiddleEast,hadsostrongafaithintheexistenceofasingleGodthattheybelievedthemselvestobeGod’sChosenPeopletorepresenthimonearth.•TheBible(thefirstfivechapters)containsthelawsandrulesoftheirreligion.•TheprophetMosesinthe13thCenturyB.C.ThereligiouslawsandcustomsmadetheJewsadistinctive,strong,culturedpeopleunlikeanyother.•TheJewsweredrivenoutoftheirhomelandduringtheRomanEmpire.•settledinmanycountries,mostlyinEuropebutalsoinAsiaandNorthAfrica.•kepttheircustomsandwayoflife,neverbecomingabsorbedbythemajoritiesamongwhomtheylived.•livedinseparatevillagesand“ghettos”undertheleadershipoftheirRabbis(priests),•excludedfrommostjobs,generallymistreated,despisedandpersecuted.•Inthe19thcentury,theindustrialrevolutioninWesternEurope,Jewsjoinedthemiddleclassandmadeoutstandingcontributionstosociety.•KarlMarx,CharlesDarwin,SigmundFreudandAlbertEinsteinwereallJews.•InEasternEurope,sufferingseverepersecution.•Anti-SemitismwasquitecommonbeforetheSecondWorldWar.•Hitler’sexterminationofEuropeanJews.•TheotherwasfoundingofthenewnationofIsraelasaJewishhomelandin1948.2.TheJewsinAmerica•Towardthe20thcentury,largenumbersofEasternEuropeJewsemigratedtoAmericaandsettledinnortherncities,especiallyNewYork.•TheykepttheirOrthodoxJewishreligionwithitsmanyrulesofdiet,ceremonyanddailyconduct.•continuedtospeakYiddish.•Thecloselyknitfamiliesexertedaverystronginfluenceovertheirchildren.•SomeJewsofthesecondgenerationinAmericaabandonedtheirparents’religiouspractices,othersremainfaithfultothem.3.TheJewishPointofView:•TheJewishpointofviewformedbycenturiesofsuffering,endurance,andtheJewishreligion.•SomeJewsbelievethatGodhassentperpetualsufferingtohisChosenPeopletostrengthenandpurifythem.•OtherscannotcomprehenditbutacceptitasaninevitablepartofJewishness.(Singer)•OrthodoxJewsreligiouscustomssetthemapart(outsiders).•Theyhavefeltmostathomeintheirownreligion,andbyextendingthisidea,theynowassociatethemselveswithIsrael,nomatterwheretheylive.4.TheJewishwritersinAmerica:•SomeJewishwritersdonotconcernthemselvesonlywithJewishsubjects,J.D.Salinger,AllenGinsberg,andArthurMiller.•WhileSaulBellow,BernardMalamud,PhilipRothandIsaacBashevisSinger,habituallywritefromaJewishpointofviewandusuallychooseJewsastheheroesoftheirbooks.II.SaulBellow1.LifeofSaulBellow:•SaulBellow,aJewishscholar-writerbredinaGentilecivilization•outstandingnovelistsofpost-war,America.•Bornin1915ofJewishimmigrantsfromRussia,SaulBellowspenthisfirstnineyearsinLachine,Quebec,Canada.•HewasraisedundertheinfluenceofastronglyJewishmother,hopinghim“tobecomeaTalmudicscholar.”•HelearnedHebrew,Yiddish,FrenchandEnglish.In1924,hisfamilymovedtoChicago,wherehereceivedhiseducationinthepublicschoolsandattheUniversityofChicago.•ThenhewenttoNorthwesternUniversityandobtainedaBachelorofSciencedegreeinanthropologyin1937.HegaveupformaleducationafterfourmonthsofgraduatestudyattheUniversityofWisconsin.•passedhisearlyyearsintheghetto,duringtheDepression,Bellowwastrainedtobeasocialscientist.•DuringtheWarWorldIIheservedintheMerchantMarine.Afterthewar,hetaughtattheUniversityofChicago.•HewasamemberoftheNationalInstituteofArtsandLetters.•PhilipRothcalledSaulBellowthe“backbone”ofAmericanliteratureduringthesecondhalfofthe20thcentury(MartinScofield,208)2.Bellow’sworks:•Realism,romanticism,andexistentialismhavealllefttheirimprintsonBellow’sliterarywork.BellowwasawardedtheNobelPrizeforLiteraturein1976•DanglingMan(1944):hisfirstnovelisanexistentialstudyofman’sinabilitytomakehischoiceinlife.Theprotagonistiswaitingtobedraftedintothearmysoastoberelievedoftheburdenofliberty.•TheVictim(1947):theembitteredlifeofaJew.Itisnotamereprotestagainstracialprejudice,butratheranexplorationoftheplightofhumanexistencethatvictimizesbothpersecutorandvictim.•TheAdventuresofAugieMarch(1953):wonhimhisfirstNationalBookAward,ayoungJewwho,unlikethealienatedandstaticfiguresintheprevioustwonovels,movesthroughavarietyofepisodes,tryingtomatchtheforcesthatdestroypersonality.Throughhisadventuresintheexternalworld,hefinallydiscoversthathemustfindasubstantialidentityinhisinnerlifeinordertokeepintacthisownpersonality.•SeizetheDay(1956):hailedasoneofBellow'sfineststories.Itdescribesamanwhoisdrownedinthe“watersoftheearth,”anambivalentimagesymbolizingboththedestructiveforcesoflifeandametaphysicalexperiencethatfreestheprotagonistfromworldlymisery.•HendersontheRainKing(1958)themodernromanceofawealthyGentile’ssearchformeaninginlife.•Herzog(1964):wonBellowasecondNationalBookAward.ItistheodysseyofaneuroticJewishprofessorinthe20thcenturyAmericansociety.Theprotagonist,MosesHerzog,divorcedandremarried,isconstantlywrestlingwithhissecondwife.Heisalsoestrangedfromhismistress,whoisdeeplyinlovewithhim.Thestorysuggeststhefutilityoftryingtoestablishone’sidentitythroughsex.•Humboldt’sGift(1975)portraysthelivesoftwowriters.Oneistruetohisprofessionbutdiesinpoverty,theothermakeshimselfasuccessbydishonestmeansbeforesufferingeventualcollapse,bot