英语短篇小说赏析Chapter V

Theme: In literature, a theme is the main idea a story tries to teach, or a message or lesson a work conveys. The theme of a literary piece is usually a kind of moral or teaching about life, society or human nature.
Although Bernard Malamud believed the fiction writer should tell the truth about life in their works, he rejected documentary-like realism and intended to adopt more imaginative approaches to the “truth” and wrote in a manner he himself described as the “realistic, expressionistic mode.” His fictions, both novels and short stories, are often fresh and powerful, for the fantasy and realities are often mingled with each other, as well as the comedy and the tragedy.
It is the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in the literary work. This message is more likely to be implied by the work rather than be delivered in a straightforward way. So, analyzing changes in dynamic characters can often provide insight into a particular theme.
Writing in the last third of the twentieth century, Malamud was aware of social problems: rootlessness, infidelity, abuse, divorce, and more, but he believes in love ‟ s power to redempt and uplift people ‟ s souls. Malamud's guarded optimism reflects several influences: American authors, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry James, as guides to moral and spiritual struggles; Russian writers, Fyodor Dostoyevski and Anton Chekhov, for their striking depiction of the person versus the society; also, the common Jewish experiences.
Chapter V
Theme
Questions for Thinking: 1. What is a theme in literature? 2. Why do we need to understand twk.baidu.come theme of a literary piece and how can we get it? 3. Can a story have two themes? What are the differences between the theme, the subject or topics of a literary piece?
The Jewbird
His published fictions include four collections of short stories, The Magic Barrel (1958), Idiots First (1963), Rembrant’s Hat (1973), and The Stories of Bernard Malamud (1983), and seven novels, The Natural (1952), The Assistant (1969), A New Life (1961), The Fixer (1963), as well as Pictures of Fidelman (1969), The Tenants (1971), Dubin’s Lives (1978), and God’s Grace (1982). The Magic Barrel won the National Book Award for 1959.
Bernard Malamud (1914-1986) is an American novelist and short-story writer, most of whose books focus on the Jewish experience in America. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Malamud was educated at the City College of New York and Columbia University. Beginning in 1961 he taught at Bennington College.