| The purpose of this thesis is to examine the picaresque elements in the novel Wandering Stars (Blandzhende Stern) by Sholem Aleichem. While the novel does not meet all of the tests to be considered picaresque (the two protagonists, Reizel and Leibel, are not picaros), the secondary characters, who play major roles in the novel, remain picaros (rogues) from start to finish. The story thus has multiple rogues, is told in a group of loosely connected episodes which follows their wanderings, does not have a singular plot or a happy ending, and uses satire in describing the patrons and directors of the Yiddish theater, the actors and actresses, and the residents of the small town where the story begins. The thesis also examines the history and development of the Yiddish theater, the picaresque genre, satire and the picaresque, and the author's use of Yiddish curses and expressions. |
