Jewish Wry: Essays on Jewish HumorSarah Blacher Cohen "When the Jews of Eastern Europe came to the United States in the 19th century, they brought with them their own special humor. Developed in response to the dissonant reality of their lives, their self-critical humor served as a source of salvation, enabling them to endure a painful history with a sense of power. In America, the marginal status of immigrant Jews prompted them to use humor a a defense, exaggerating or mocking their ethnicity as events dictated. Jewish Wry examines the development of Jewish humor in a series of essays on topics that range from Sholom Aleichem's humor to Jewish comediennes through to the humor of Philip Roth. This important book offers enjoyable reading as well as a significant and scholarly contribution to the field"--Publisher's description. |
Contents
The Nature of Jewish Laughter | 16 |
Jewish Humor and the Domestication of Myth 33 | 33 |
The Thrust of Jewish | 53 |
Copyright | |
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absurdity aggressive Allen American answer appears asked audience become Black body Bruce called characters comedian comedy comes comic continue course created critics culture death Duddy Elkin example experience expression fact father feels fiction figure funny gentile ghetto give hand Hebrew hero House human imagination ironic Israeli Jake Jewish humor Jews Joan joke kind language laugh laughter literature live look major material means nature never notes novel once origins Philip play Press question rabbi reality Rivers Roth Roth's satire schlemiel seems sense sexual Sholom Aleichem social society Stanley Elkin stereotypes story style suffering talk tell things tradition turn University values woman women Woody writers Yiddish York young