Saul Bellow in the 1980s: A Collection of Critical Essays (review)

Volume 10, No.2 Winter 1992 125 Shaked categorizes Agnon's novellas as belonging to the traditions of the dramatic, psychological or lyric, and the grotesque. In his discussion of specific works, he spends a considerable time on the psychological underpinnings of "Betrothed" and the bases of the grotesque novella as exemplified by "Pisces," which also epitomizes Agnon's syntagmatic plot line. In discussing the latter, Shaked asserts that"Agnon might be termed the progenitor of the modern novella" (p. 206) in that his contribution reaches beyond the boundaries of Hebrew literature. In addition, Shaked devotes a chapter to the examination of Agnon's major novels, from The Bridal Canopy to A Simple Story, A Guest for the Night, and Only Yesterday, and to his two posthumously published novels, Shira and In Mr. Lublin's Store. In each he finds evidence for the author's continuous growth, development, and revolutionary spirit. In each Agnon enfolds his response to the changes in mood and spirit of the times in which he lived. Discussions in other chapters are assigned to an analysis and evaluation of the author's various shorter works, giving the reader a good sense of Agnon's reach and depth. Although one would have hoped for a more thorough, work-by-work, examination of Agnon's corpus, including his posthumously published writings , Shaked has presented scholars with a truly original approach to Hebrew literature's consummate intertextualist. In this seminal work, Shaked has set a high standard for those who might attempt to follow him. Readers of Agnon are advised to keep Shaked's study close at hand. Stephen Katz Department of Near Eastern Languages & Cultures Indiana University Saul Bellow in the 1980s: A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Gloria L. Cronin and L. H. Goldman. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 1989. 328 pp. $25.00. Saul Bellow in the 1980s is a collection of 18 critical essays published during the decade of the 19805. The first eight essays are classified by the editors as "general" and the remaining pieces are listed as "specialized," those primarily dealing with individual Bellow novels. The brief historical/chronological introduction attempts to place Bellow in context. The editors note three "waves" of Bellow criticism: the first (1966-74) gave rise to a number of major books on Bellow, which had in common "a celebration of Bellow as humanist and contemporary neo-tran- 126 SHOFAR scendentalist." These works also focused on Bellow's concern with menschLichkeit . The second brief phase of Bellow criticism (1975-79) "only slightly modified the 'orthodox' vision of Bellow as humanist and contemporary 'yea-sayer.''' The third "wave" (the 19805), according to editors Cronin and Goldman, "opened up new avenues," which "move beyond Bellow's humanism to the particulars that go into making Bellow the kind of author he is." Of course "the kind of author he is," some waggish scholar once said, "is the kind of catch-all phrase used by editors when they haven't got the foggiest notion about how to classify the author." Nevertheless, the reprinted and sometimes revised essays collected here are a welcome addition to the already ample bibliography of scholarly/critical works on Saul Bellow. The opening essay by Judie Newman, "Saul Bellow's Sixth Sense: The Sense of History," may act as a sample of the new directions the essays take. Newman, a British critic, takes issue with the major critics who insist that a sense of history is not a pivotal part of Bellow's fiction. Newman meticulously examines the novels as she adduces evidence to refute the non-historical point ofview. Another careful study is L. H. Goldman's "Saul Bellow and the Philosophy of Judaism." Much has been written about Bellow as a Jewish-American writer, a term he hates. Here, however, Goldman probes deeper than most as she draws upon ancient and current Jewish philosophers and views of Judaism to demonstrate that "Bellow's perspective is unmistakably Jewish " and that he "writes in the manner of an Old Testament prophet." Another perennial concern is Bellow's fictional treatment of women. Generally, the critics have agreed that Bellow's attitude is hostile and that his women are...