Abstract
In her modernist masterpiece, Nightwood, the American writer, Djuna Barnes, employs poetic yet grotesque imagery to represent melancholia and reflect critically on modernity. The novel describes the deterministic melancholia suffered by Jewish people in the wake of modernist progress in three key aspects: the image of Jews’ melancholia, the underlying causes of their melancholia, and addressing melancholia for critical reflection and redemption. By showing the Jewish people’s ultimate failure in redemption, the novel not only asserts that the introspection on melancholia would not bring about any fundamental changes, but also denounces the harsh realities during the progress of modernity. What Barnes’ representation of Jewish people’s inescapable melancholy destiny shows us is the recognition and rumination of the universal suffering in human existence.
Translated title of the contribution | The Jewish Melancholia and Critique of Modernity in Nightwood |
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Original language | Chinese (Simplified) |
Pages (from-to) | 149-159 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Foreign Literature Studies |
Volume | 45 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Aug 2023 |