Moon and Madness (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Isaac Bashevis Singer
- First Published: 1980
- Type of Plot: Fable
- Time of Work: The early 1900's
- Setting: Radzymin, Poland
- Principal Characters: Zalman, Levi Yitzchok, Meir, Count Jan Malecki, Maciek Sokal, Wojtek, Stach Skiba, Stasia Skiba, Stefan, Stanislaw Karlowski, Rabbi Joseph Della Reina, Ptima, Grisha
- Genres: Fable, Short fiction
- Subjects: Jews or Jewish life, Devils or demons, Satan or Satanism, Sympathy
- Locales: Radzymin, Poland
The Story
One winter night in the Radzymin study house, three Jews swap stories about pity. Zalman begins by telling of a Count Jan Malecki, who freed his serfs long before Czar Alexander abolished serfdom in 1861. Dividing his land among the peasants, Malecki worked as hard as any of them. Meanwhile, all of his relatives lived idly from his earnings. Despite Malecki's egalitarian sentiments, the Russians who rule the area appoint him district judge. Because he is so tenderhearted, however, he never sentences anyone. As soon as he hears the flimsiest excuse, Malecki not only...
[The entire page is 1371 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
See Also
