The Reconstruction Of Jewish History In Michael Chabon's Fantasy Fiction

Many stories concerning maintenance and defense of Jewish traditional culture,healing of historical trauma and reconciliation of ethnic dissension are told in contemporary American Jewish literature.As the representative of contemporary American Jewish writers,Michael Chabon often discusses these issues in his works.In addition,this dissertation finds that since the beginning of the 21 st century,his works are mostly historical and transcendent fantasy fictions: As for the historical characteristic,he often presents the survival predicament and emotional needs of Jews in the historical stages of the Middle Ages,World War II,and the Cold War;As for the transcendent characteristic,he often reconstructs real Jewish history from the fantasy perspective such as fantasy fiction and science fiction.In view of the fact that most of his fantasy fictions are rooted in Jewish history and reconstructed to different degrees,this dissertation believes that the process of his creation of fantasy fiction is actually the process of reconstruction of Jewish history.By choosing his several fantasy fictions such as The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier& Clay,The Yiddish Policemen's Union,Gentlemen of the Road and Moonglow,this dissertation will discuss his reconstruction of Jews,national faith and tradition in Jewish history from three aspects: character,place,and time.Firstly,basing on character,this dissertation finds that Chabon favors explorers with Jewish identity,emphasizing their self-salvation and defense mechanism.Their identities are characterized by sensitivity and complexity under the influence of historical traditions,and popularity and entertainment under the influence of popular culture.Some of the reconstructed Jews have superpowers such as those in fantasy-science fiction that can break the fetters of genre and connect history and fantasy through proper transition in content and joining in form,thus improving novelty and exquisite reading experience.Besides,Chabon establishes the background of science fiction behind the reconstructed Jews on the basis of Jewish traditional customs,which not only demonstrates the influence of the dialectical effectof technology on the Jewish religious and social activities,but also expresses his humanistic care for the Jews.Secondly,basing on place,this dissertation finds that Chabon often reconstructs the original land in Jewish history.In the process of reconstruction,he highlights the Utopian spirit in Jewish national faith and pays attention to the Utopian branches such as dystopia and heterotopia.By analyzing the origin,cultural representation and historical destiny of Utopia,this dissertation discovers that Chabon's reconstruction of Utopia reflects the origin of Messiah in Jewish history,the view of redemption in Jewish mysticism,and the struggle and escape of Jews in different historical stages.Based on his extraction of the traditional Jewish Utopian spirit,his Utopian writing style,and his reconstructed Utopia born in the context of post-theory,this dissertation holds his fantasy fiction can be understood as a political declaration in the perspective of post-Utopia criticism,tending to help people overcome fear,increase national confidence and provide motivation for creating a better life.Thirdly,basing on time,this dissertation finds that Chabon tends to focus on the reconstructed history beyond real Jewish history in the process of disrupting the linear chain of time.In his reconstruction of Jewish history,time may be replaced,extended or compressed,with the result that the reconstructed history may deviate from real history or even subvert real history.Considering the above carefully,the dissertation finds that in the process of reconstructing important events,national relations and traditional themes in Jewish history,Chabon expresses his reviews about the times and his protection of the Jewish national tradition.Moreover,during the reconstructed time,he actually puts prolepsis into the deep time of Jewish history,while emphasizing the messianic time symbolizing the permanent expectation and delay--the time of Jewish fundamentalism.Based on the above,this dissertation suggests that Chabon actually extends one hand to the Jewish historical tradition and religious heritage,while extends the other hand to the multi-value and de-normalized path under postmodernism,thus he reveals the trends with Jewish national characteristics in his fantasy fiction,including looking back at history from multiple perspectives,expressing emotions individually andthinking about trauma dialectically.Looking back at history from multiple perspectives is embodied in the fact that we can see not only his return and reflection on Jewish history from the current perspective,but also see his intervention and compensation on Jewish history from the perspective of future expectation;Expressing emotions individually is embodied in the fact that he reveals the alienation of Jewish individuals from collectivism and emphasizes the importance of free emotional connection between individuals,just as readers can often comprehend the instinctive emotional longing for family affection,friendship and love at the end of his stories;Thinking about trauma dialectically is embodied in his cross-category writing mode of fantasy fiction,which reduces the traditional narrative themes such as assimilation or diaspora,and underlines the Jewish mysticism with the coexistence of degeneration and redemption,as well as the Zionist actions with the coexistence of glory and shady.At present,there are not many scholars studying the best-selling works of Chabon from the perspective of fantasy fiction.This dissertation intends to explore his reconstruction of Jewish history from the perspective of fantasy fiction,so as to disclose that his reconstruction is a new way to inherit the traditional Jewish culture.By analyzing his process of returning to Jewish history for the purpose of salvation and enlightenment,the dissertation discovers that he is committed to integrating the Jewish traditional culture into contemporary American Jewish literary creation,and focusing on the connection between Jewish individuals,the contradiction within the Jewish community and the inheritance of the Jewish mysticism.