| College Bound: The Pursuit of Education in Jewish American Literature, 1896-1944 Contributor(s): Shiffman, Dan (Author) |
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ISBN: 1438467222 ISBN-13: 9781438467221 Publisher: State University of New York Press OUR PRICE: $33.20 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: July 2018 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Literary Criticism | Jewish - Literary Criticism | American - General - Education | Philosophy, Theory & Social Aspects |
| Dewey: 810.989 |
| Series: Suny Contemporary Jewish Literature and Culture |
| Physical Information: 0.6" H x 6" W x 8.9" (0.70 lbs) 224 pages |
| Themes: - Ethnic Orientation - Jewish |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Jewish American immigrants and their children have been stereotyped as exceptional educational achievers, with attendance at prestigious universities leading directly to professional success. In College Bound, Dan Shiffman uses literary accounts to show that American Jews' relationship with education was in fact far more complex. Jews expected book learning to bring personal fulfillment and self-transformation, but the reality of public schools and universities often fell short. Shiffman examines a wide range of novels and autobiographies by first- and second-generation writers, including Abraham Cahan, Mary Antin, Anzia Yezierska, Elizabeth Gertrude Stern, Ludwig Lewisohn, Marcus Eli Ravage, Lionel Trilling, and Leo Rosten. Their visions of learning as a process of critical questioning--enlivening the mind, interrogating cultural standards, and confronting social injustices--present a valuable challenge to today's emphasis on narrowly measurable outcomes of student achievement. |