ISBN:
9781978836341
,
9781978836358
Language:
English
Pages:
ix, 194 Seiten
,
Illustrationen
Year of publication:
2024
Parallel Title:
Erscheint auch als
Parallel Title:
Erscheint auch als
Keywords:
Hershfield, Harry
;
Juden
;
Humor
;
Abie the agent / (Fictitious character)
;
Hershfield, Harry / 1885-1974 / Characters / Jews
;
Hershfield, Harry / 1885-1974 / Political and social views
;
Jews in comics
;
Jewish wit and humor, Pictorial
;
Jews / Cultural assimilation / United States / History / 19th century
;
Jews / Cultural assimilation / United States / History / 20th century
;
Comic books, strips, etc / United States / History and criticism
;
Hershfield, Harry 1885-1974 Abie the Agent
;
Juden
;
Humor
Abstract:
"The turn of the nineteenth century in the United States saw a substantial influx of immigrants and a corresponding increase in anti-immigration and nativist tendencies among longer-settled Americans. Jewish immigrants were often the object of such animosity, being at once the object of admiration and anxiety for their perceived economic and social successes. One result was their frequent depiction in derogatory caricatures on the stage and in print. Smoothing The Jew investigates how Jewish artists of the time attempted to "smooth over" these demanding portrayals by focusing on the first Jewish comic strip published in English, Harry Hershfield's Abie the Agent. Jeffrey Marx demonstrates how Hershfield created a Jewish protagonist who in part reassured nativists of the Jews' ability to assimilate into American society while also encouraging immigrants and their children that, over time, they would be able to adopt American customs without losing their distinctly Jewish identity."
