A Margin of Hope (Masterplots II: Nonfiction Series)
At a glance:
- Author: Irving Howe
- First Published: 1982
- Type of Work: Autobiography
- Time of Work: The 1930’s to the early 1940’s
- Setting: Primarily New York City
- Principal Characters: Irving Howe
- Genres: Nonfiction, Autobiography
- Subjects: Parents and children, Intellectuals, Politics, Socialism, Literature, Education or educators, Jews or Jewish life, Fathers, Criticism, Thought or thinking
Form and Content
Irving Howe has been since the 1940’s a prominent figure in American intellectual life as a literary critic, editor and anthologist, historian, and spokesman for Democratic Socialism. The subtitle of his book, An Intellectual Autobiography, alerts the reader to the work’s focus. Indeed, A Margin of Hope is scanty on the personal side of Howe’s life. His mother is briefly described as the stereotypical Jewish mother: “Strong, humorless, enclosing.” His father receives more attention but mostly as the symbol of Howe’s own ambivalent...
[The entire page is 2701 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
See Also
