The Jew in the American War Novel

1920s–2020s

Ohad Reznick

• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• Year: 2025
• eBook ISBN: 9781040342473
• Edition: 0
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Jewish Literary Criticism
• Index: Literature

This is the first book of its kind to provide an analysis of the representation of Jews in American war novels throughout the long twentieth century.

This study delineates the intricate relationship between Jews and wars. Are Jews depicted as draft dodgers or heroes in American war fiction? How do Jewish soldiers cope with anti-Semitism in war novels? Do Jewish women contribute to the war effort? Addressing these questions, among others, this book analyzes texts, some of which have been overlooked by critics and some by well-known authors, such as Ernest Hemingway and Philip Roth, in order to trace the changes in the perception of Jews in relation to war. Scrutinizing themes such as blood and masculinity, The Jew in the American War Novel argues that the depiction of the Jew is characterized by progression and then regression; in war novels published shortly after WWI, non-Jews see Jews as draft evaders who lack masculinity. After WWII, Jews began to be seen as contributing to the warfare. However, toward the end of twentieth century, reflecting the reemergence of prevalent anti-Semitism, Jews are once again seen as disloyal, resulting in a clash between the sense of Jewish and American identities.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Endorsement Page
• Half Title
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction: The Relationship between Jewish Americans and Wars
• 1 The Interwar Period—The Jew as an Unmasculine Man Who Evades the War
• 2 The 1940s–1950s—Oversimplifying the Jewish American Conflict
• 3 The 1960s–1980s—Jewish Wars
• 4 The 1990s–2020s—The Jews as Separate from Other Americans
• Epilogue: Blood, Draft Evasion, and Anti-Semitism in The Human Stain
• Index