Dec 22, 2009
Stanley Elkin writes darkly humorous works. About half of his characters are Jewish, mostly secular Jews. Many of them, however, resist assimilation into mainstream American life. In his short stories and novels, Elkin establishes Jewish identity in two major ways. He captures Jewish humor through the unique intonations of Jewish American speech, and he casts his characters in professions often entered by Jewish men.
A consummate stylist, Elkin often presents his characters as caught between their religious heritage, which they consider anachronistic and...
[The entire page is 904 words long]
©2000-2009
Enotes.com Inc.
All Rights Reserved