Hideous Characters and Beautiful Pagans

Performing Jewish Identity on the Antebellum American Stage

Fiction & Literature, Drama, Religious & Liturgical, Nonfiction, Entertainment
Cover of the book Hideous Characters and Beautiful Pagans by Heather S Nathans, University of Michigan Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Heather S Nathans ISBN: 9780472122707
Publisher: University of Michigan Press Publication: March 1, 2017
Imprint: University of Michigan Press Language: English
Author: Heather S Nathans
ISBN: 9780472122707
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
Publication: March 1, 2017
Imprint: University of Michigan Press
Language: English

While battling negative stereotypes, American Jews carved out new roles for themselves within the first theatrical entertainments in America. Jewish citizens were active as performers, playwrights, critics, managers, and theatrical shareholders, and often tied their involvement in these endeavors to the patriotic rhetoric of the young republic as they struggled to establish themselves in the new nation. Examining play texts, theatrical reviews, political discourse, and public performances of Jewish rights and rituals, Hideous Characters and Beautiful Pagans argues that Jewish stage types shed light on our understanding of the status of Jewish Americans during a critical historical period.

Using an eclectic range of sources including theatrical reviews, diaries, letters, cartoons, portraiture, tax records, rumors flying around the tavern, and more, Heather S. Nathans has listened for the echoes of vanished audiences who witnessed and responded to these stereotypes onstage, from the earliest appearance of Shylock on an American stage in 1752 to Jewish theater artists on the eve of the Civil War. The book integrates social, political, and cultural histories, with an examination of those texts (both dramatic and literary) that shaped the stage Jew.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

While battling negative stereotypes, American Jews carved out new roles for themselves within the first theatrical entertainments in America. Jewish citizens were active as performers, playwrights, critics, managers, and theatrical shareholders, and often tied their involvement in these endeavors to the patriotic rhetoric of the young republic as they struggled to establish themselves in the new nation. Examining play texts, theatrical reviews, political discourse, and public performances of Jewish rights and rituals, Hideous Characters and Beautiful Pagans argues that Jewish stage types shed light on our understanding of the status of Jewish Americans during a critical historical period.

Using an eclectic range of sources including theatrical reviews, diaries, letters, cartoons, portraiture, tax records, rumors flying around the tavern, and more, Heather S. Nathans has listened for the echoes of vanished audiences who witnessed and responded to these stereotypes onstage, from the earliest appearance of Shylock on an American stage in 1752 to Jewish theater artists on the eve of the Civil War. The book integrates social, political, and cultural histories, with an examination of those texts (both dramatic and literary) that shaped the stage Jew.

More books from University of Michigan Press

Cover of the book Coloring Whiteness by Heather S Nathans
Cover of the book Acts of Authority/Acts of Resistance by Heather S Nathans
Cover of the book The Staff of Oedipus by Heather S Nathans
Cover of the book The Hyperlinked Society by Heather S Nathans
Cover of the book The North Country Trail by Heather S Nathans
Cover of the book Black Cultural Traffic by Heather S Nathans
Cover of the book Millennial Reflections on International Studies by Heather S Nathans
Cover of the book Law in the Domains of Culture by Heather S Nathans
Cover of the book Cultural Struggles by Heather S Nathans
Cover of the book Congress on Display, Congress at Work by Heather S Nathans
Cover of the book Devils and Rebels by Heather S Nathans
Cover of the book Titles, Conflict, and Land Use by Heather S Nathans
Cover of the book A Heart Beating Hard by Heather S Nathans
Cover of the book Poker by Heather S Nathans
Cover of the book Acts by Heather S Nathans
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy