安徽三联学院外语学院美国文学课件Chapter 22 Saul Bellow.ppt

Saul Bellow Content Part 1 General Introduction to Jewish American literature Part 2 Saul Bellow Part 3 Looking for Mr Green Part I. General Introduction to  Jewish American literature 1. Important writers: Bernard Malamud, Isaac B. Singer, Saul Bellow Bernard Malamud Isaac B. Singer Saul Bellow 2. Major themes: Jewish suffering, looking for a new life, emotional and spiritual loss, Jewish assimilation/adaptation into the host social institution 3. Characters stubborn, with endurance and love, 4. Artistic features Jewish setting, Jewish point of view, Jewish humor: wry rather than a crack of shallow laughter, laughter with tears Part 2 Saul Bellow Nobel prize winner, Herzog 1. Themes displacement, alienation, search for a meaningful identity, exploration of human plight 2. Artistic features Realism, romanticism, existentialism, Don Quixote hero 3. His strengths depth of his feelings his concern for, and understanding of, human beings Part 3 Looking for Mr. Green 1.Characters Mr. Grebe Mr. Raynor, Grebe’s supervisor Field Skaika Mr. Green 2.Themes 1) The quest of a stubborn idealist in an irrational world; 2)The clash between idealism and cynical realism: how an idealistic humanist (typical Bellow hero) reconcile noble ideas with the harsh facts; 3) The problem of the noncompetitive in a highly competitive society; human sufferings 4) alienation of the urban black people 2.Themes 5) influence of money upon people 6) relationship between appearance and reality 7) absurdity of existence 3.Symbolic meanings 1)Mr. Grebe 2)looking for Mr. Green 4.Global understanding A realistic description, a symbolic quest, a bildungsroman, a parable 5. Questions 1) Is illusion necessary for the survival in a harsh world? 2) Do you agree with the old man Field when he says that “Nothing is black where money shines”? 3)What do you make of