The Jew in the American War Novel: 1920s?2020s (Routledge Research in American Literature and Culture)

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.

Ohad Reznick teaches American literature at Tel Aviv University and Ben‑Gurion University of the Negev. He is the author of Imagined Non‑Jews: Jews Passing as Gentiles in Post‑WWII and Multicultural American Fiction (2024). His articles appear in MELUS, Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction, and LIT: Literature, Interpretation, Theory.