| Saul Bellow, one of the most important American writers after Hemingway and Faulkner, has gained a world-renowned reputation since he won the Nobel Prize in 1976. Critics from home and abroad have done numerous researches on Saul Bellow from diiferent perspectives, among which his artistic achievements in novels are the major concern while the only full-length essay To Jerusalem and Back is comparatively less attended. To Jerusalem and Back records what Saul Bellow sees and how he feels about arts, politics, and history. To some extent, it is a summary of Bellow’s life thought, reflecting his solicitude as an intellectual over the world civilization, politics and vulnerable groups. Therefore, this thesis probes into Bellow’s image as an intellectual in the light of Edward Said’s theory so as to explore a new path to the study of Bellow’s writing.Based on Said’s theory of intellectuals and a critical reading of To Jerusalem and Back, this thesis proves that Bellow is an intellectual from three aspects. Firstly, Bellow is an amateur. As a freelance writer and a non-commercialized journalist, Saul Bellow reveals truth to the public. Secondly, Bellow is an exile intellectual in a metaphorical condition. As an outsider and a marginal, Saul Bellow possesses double perspectives to see things from what has been left behind and what is actual here and now. Lastly, Bellow is an intellectual who dares to speak truth to the power. He shows deep sympathy for the underprivileged, such as suffering children and women in Jerusalem, which presents his humanistic care as an intellectual.The paper aims at giving people a better understanding of Saul Bellow’s essay and his humanistic care for the underprivileged as an intellectual. Through the combination of Said’s theory of intellectuals and To Jerusalem and Back, the paper makes it possible for more people to know better about what a true intellectual looks like and should be, which provides proper guidance for contemporary intellectuals. |
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