Inventing the Israelite

"In this book, Maurice Samuels brings to light a series of little-known works of literature produced from 1830 to 1870 by the first generation of Jews born as French citizens. These writers, Samuels asserts, used fiction as a laboratory to experiment with new forms of Jewish identity relevant to the modern world. In their stories and novels, they responded to the stereotypical depictions of Jews in French culture while creatively adapting the forms and genres of the French literary tradition. They also offered innovative solutions to the central dilemmas of Jewish modernity in the French context - including the question of how to reconcile their particular identities as Jews with the universalizing demands of the French revolutionary tradition." "The solutions these authors advocate range from complete assimilation to a modern brand of orthodoxy. But while the form and content of their fiction varied greatly, these writers collectively illustrate the creativity of a community in the face of unprecedented upheaval. Moreover, as the first examples of "ethnic fiction" in French, their writing offers a unique historical perspective on some of the central problems facing France today, such as the effort to reconcile religious values with public life and the place of minorities within French culture."--Jacket.