In Search of Identity and Spirituality in the Fiction of American Jewish Female Authors at the Turn of the 21st Century. Dorota Mihulka

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      Dorota Mihułka

      In Search of Identity and Spirituality

      in the Fiction of American Jewish

      Female Authors at the Turn of the

      21^st Century

      Bibliographic Information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek

      The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche

      Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data is available in the internet at

       http://dnb.d-nb.de

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      A CIP catalog record for this book has been applied for

      at the Library of Congress.

      Książka wydana przy dofinansowaniu Państwowej Wyższej Szkoły

      Zawodowej im. Stanisława Pigonia w Krośnie (The publication of this

      book was subsidised by Krosno State College, Poland)

      This work has been reviewed by Shoshana Ronen and Brygida Gasztold.

      ISSN 2191-1894

      ISBN 978-3-631-82209-8 (Print)

      E-ISBN 978-3-631-82732-1 (E-PDF)

      E-ISBN 978-3-631-82733-8 (EPUB)

      E-ISBN 978-3-631-82734-5 (MOBI)

      DOI 10.3726/b17186

      © Peter Lang GmbH

      Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften

      Berlin 2020

      All rights reserved.

      Peter Lang – Berlin • Bern • Bruxelles • New York • Oxford • Warszawa • Wien

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      About the author

      Dorota Mihułka is a lecturer at Department of English at Krosno State College (Poland), where she teaches American history and culture as well as practical English courses. Her academic interests include American ethnic female literature, American Jewish female literature as well as intercultural education and communication.

      About the book

      The book discusses the issue of religiosity in the context of American Jewish literature, emphasizing the significance of Judaism as an indispensable element in the formation of American Jewish female identity. The empirical part of the book is devoted to a critical comprehensive analysis of selected fiction by contemporary American Jewish female writers, representatives of the third generation, whose works were published between 1980–2005. The literary analyses of the selected narratives reveal a strong connection between the identity of American Jewish women and Judaism, and the simultaneous need to modify it in the face of socio-political transformations occurring in the American society at the turn of the twenty-first century.

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      Acknowledgements

      My sincere gratitude and deepest appreciation go to my mentor, Professor Lucyna Aleksandrowicz-Pędich who was extraordinarily generous with her time and expertise, offering invaluable advice, insightful constructive criticism and continuous support during the years I spent on researching this fascinating subject and writing this book.

      I would also like to thank my family for their spiritual support, encouragement and unshakable faith that I would be able to accomplish this project.

      Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1 Jewish Women in American Society

1.1 Jewish Immigration into the United States

1.2 Religious Dimensions of American Jewish Community

1.2.1 Women in Reform Judaism

1.2.2 Women in Conservative Judaism

1.2.3 Women in Reconstructionist Judaism

1.2.4 Women in Orthodox Judaism

1.2.4.1 ‘Ultra-Orthodox’ Judaism

1.2.4.2 ‘Modern Orthodox’ Judaism

1.2.4.3 Problematic Position of Women in Orthodox Judaism

1.2.5 Women in Humanistic Judaism and Jewish Renewal

1.3 Impact of Jewish Feminism on the American Jewish Community

1.3.1 Jewish Feminist Movement versus American Feminism

1.3.2 Feminist Critique of Judaism

1.3.3 Achievements of Jewish Feminism

       1.4 Position of Jewish Women in the American Community – Concluding Remarks

       Chapter 2 American Jewish Women’s Writing

       2.1 Defining American Jewish Literature

       2.2 Three Generations of American Jewish Female Writers

       2.2.1 The First Generation – Jewish Immigrant Experience

       2.2.2 The Second Generation – Immersion in the American Mainstream