Malamud, Bernard - Ellen Pifer (essay date fall 1988)
Ellen Pifer (essay date fall 1988)
SOURCE: Pifer, Ellen. “Malamud's Unnatural The Natural.” Studies in American Jewish Fiction 7, no. 2 (fall 1988): 138-52.
[In the following essay, Pifer discusses Malamud's use of artificial, highly stylized narrative devices in The Natural.]
In The Natural, a host of literary devices draws attention to the “unnatural” landscape, the deliberate design, of Malamud's first novel. Most discussions of the novel have focused not on these devices, however, but on the ancient lore of Arthurian romance, particularly the myths of the Grail Knight and the Fisher King. As critics have pointed out, the novel's ample allusions to the grail legend underline its mythic theme: a hero's quest, ordeal, and ultimate redemption.1 While the significance of this traditional material can hardly be overlooked, preoccupation with the novel's mythic elements has led critics to overlook some of the...
[The entire page is 6938 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
Related Topics
