Symbolism in Isaac Bashevis Singer's The Magician of Lublin
| Autor: | Yu-chun Tsai, 蔡酉君 |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2008 |
| Druh dokumentu: | 學位論文 ; thesis |
| Popis: | 96 The thesis is intended to examine the application of symbols in Isaac Bashevis Singer’s The Magician of Lublin. Singer, winner of the 1978 Nobel Prize for Literature, is generally regarded as one of the greatest Yiddish writers. His East European Jewish heritage, magic, mysticism as well as peasant folk traditions are the common subject matter in his literary works. Besides, he is particularly renowned for his subtle use of symbolism. As a master at weaving a tangled web of symbols, Singer endeavors to convey the profoundest meanings to his readers. In The Magician of Lublin, the oscillation between religion and worldliness accounts for all. The protagonist, Yasha Mazur, seesaws back and forth between Lublin and Warsaw as an itinerant magician. Meanwhile, he enjoys the total freedom of entangling himself with a variety of women until he is stricken by a crisis of conscience. Singer devises the protagonist’s profession with symbolic care, since being a magician characterizes not just his way of earning a living but also his extraordinary way of life. This thesis consists of five chapters. In the first chapter, Isaac Bashevis Singer’s profile is portrayed to unveil the familial influence on Singer’s writing. Aside from that, the motifs in The Magician of Lublin and the significance of literary symbolism are fully discussed. In the second chapter, the hidden values of the main settings are analyzed respectively. Lublin, Piask and Warsaw not merely display different degrees of moral degradation, but also convey extremely varied meanings in Yasha’s life. Then Chapter Three focuses on the discussion of the magician symbol. Yasha the Magician is symbolically a chameleon, or a man of multiple faces. Being a magician allows Yasha to take on diverse roles, wear distinct disguises, and most importantly, lead promiscuous lives. The fourth chapter is devoted to the recurrent image of a tightrope. Apart from the real tightrope in the performances, Yasha is, more often than not, stuck on a virtual tightrope, being in a dilemma. Accordingly, the tightrope displays a profoundly symbolic significance in this novel. The fifth chapter is a conclusion. All symbols examined in this thesis are summed up in the hope of not only better understanding the ideas Singer intends to convey, but also further appreciating the essence of this great literary work. |
| Databáze: | Networked Digital Library of Theses & Dissertations |
| Externí odkaz: |
|