Facing Black and Jew: Literature as Public Space in Twentieth-Century America (Cultural Margins) [Paperback]

Adam Zachary Newton (Author)

Book Description

Series: Cultural Margins | Publication Date: August 13, 1999

Adam Zachary Newton couples works of prose fiction by African American and Jewish American authors from Henry Roth and Ralph Ellison to Philip Roth and David Bradley. Reading the work of such writers alongside and through one another, Newton offers an original way of juxtaposing two major traditions in American literature and rethinking their sometimes vexing relationship. Newton combines Emmanuel Levinas' ethical philosophy and Walter Benjamin's theory of allegory in shaping an innovative kind of ethical-political criticism. A final chapter addresses the Black/Jewish dimension of the O. J. Simpson trial.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'... this is an absorbing and highly intelligent work ...' Journal of Jewish Studies

Book Description

Adam Zachary Newton couples works of prose fiction by African American and Jewish American authors from Henry Roth and Ralph Ellison to Philip Roth and David Bradley. Reading the work of such writers alongside and through one another, Newton offers an original way of juxtaposing two major traditions in American literature and rethinking their sometimes vexed relationship. Newton combines Emmanuel Levinas's ethical philosophy and Walter Benjamin's theory of allegory in shaping an innovative kind of ethical-political criticism. A final chapter addresess the Black/Jewish dimension of the O. J. Simpson trial.

Product Details

• Paperback: 236 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (August 13, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521658705
• ISBN-13: 978-0521658706
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,539,818 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Learning Experience, September 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Facing Black and Jew: Literature as Public Space in Twentieth-Century America (Cultural Margins) (Hardcover)

Not sure how many of you are familiar with the writings of Adam Zachary Newton, but for those who aren't, you should be. I have been anticipating this text ever since I heard (back in March) that it was to be published. A brilliantly educated lecturer and one of the smartest men you're ever likely to meet, Newton has again published a text (following the publication of his award-winning book, "Narrative Ethics") that confronts and educates the reader, this time comparing the writings of a selected number of black writers and the work of a number of Jewish ones on a one to one basis, pairing Ralph Ellison, Henry Roth, Philip Roth, David Bradley, Cynthia Ozick, Bernard Malamud, and others. Frankly, coming from a theater background, I must say that I particularly enjoyed the final chapter relating David Mamet's film "Homicide" to the O.J. Simpson trial. In a day where the O.J. trial has been looked at from more angles than the Hauptmann case, this offers a fresh and dramatic literazation of the event that is both interesting and incisive. Before I get off sounding like some sort of raving AZN fanboy, I will end this review by saying only that you should definitely read the book for yourself. The ideas in this text transcend the normal academic outpouring from the universities and are well-suited for a mainstream thinking audience.