Gertrude Stein and the Making of Jewish Modernism

This book challenges the notion that Gertrude Stein did not integrate her Jewish identity and heritage into her work, highlighting her consistent writing about Jewish topics throughout her career. It reveals how Judaism was central to Stein's ideas about modernity, connecting the modernist era to the Jewish experience. Through analysis of her scholarly writings, draft notebooks, and literary works, Feinstein demonstrates the influence of Matthew Arnold and reveals a hidden Jewish framework in Steins epic novel "The Making of Americans." She also identifies an explicitly Jewish vocabulary in Steins experimental "voices" poems that express themes of marriage, nationalism, and Zionism.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 296 pages
Publication date: 28 June 2022
Publisher: University Press of Florida

This book challenges the notion that Gertrude Stein, a prominent modernist writer, seldom incorporated her Jewish identity and heritage into her work. In contrast, Amy Feinstein argues that Judaism played a central role in Stein's ideas about modernity, demonstrating how she connected the modernist era to the Jewish experience. Feinstein's comprehensive analysis spans Steins scholarly writings, draft notebooks, and literary works, delving into references to Judaism that have puzzled scholars. Through her research, she unveils the previously overlooked influence of Matthew Arnold and uncovers a hidden Jewish framework in Stein's epic novel, The Making of Americans. Feinstein also explores Steins experimental "voices" poems, where she identifies an explicitly Jewish vocabulary that expresses themes of marriage, nationalism, and Zionism. Moreover, she demonstrates how Stein's wartime novel, Wars I Have Seen, written in Vichy France during World War II, compares the experience of wartime occupation with the historic persecution of Jews. By examining these diverse aspects of Stein's writing, Feinstein sheds new light on the complex and multifaceted relationship between Judaism, modernity, and literature, offering a fresh perspective on the renowned writer's oeuvre.

Weight: 454g
Dimension: 151 x 229 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780813068756