Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies

Royal, Derek Parker, 1963-
Unfinalized Moments in Jewish American Narrative
Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies - Volume 22, Number 3, Spring 2004, pp. 1-11

University of Nebraska Press

Derek Parker Royal - Unfinalized Moments in Jewish American Narrative - Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies 22:3 Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies 22.3 (2004) 1-11 Unfinalized Moments in Jewish American Narrative Derek Parker Royal Texas A&M University-Commerce In contemporary Jewish American fiction studies, it has become common practice to reference Irving Howe's pronouncement on what he saw as the waning influence of this literature. So much so, in fact, that the constant citation of it (present essay included) begins to take on the cadence of an ironic mantra, one chanted to invoke the spirit of literary authenticity. One is even tempted, given our sound bite-laden culture, to encapsulate his views with the pithy phrase, "the Howe Doctrine" (these introductory comments, however, will resist the temptation). It all began in the introduction to his 1977 collection of Jewish American stories, where Howe broods over his belief that "American Jewish fiction has probably moved past its high point. Insofar as this body of writing draws heavily from the immigrant experience, it must suffer a depletion of resources, a thinning-out of materials and memories. Other than in books and sentiment, there just isn't enough left of that experience." To a certain degree, such an outlook is understandable, coming from the author of World of Our Fathers, a text whose foundation is the Jewish immigrant experience. Yet what makes...