Ghetto Comedies by Israel Zangwill

"Ghetto Comedies" by Israel Zangwill is a collection of short stories written in the early 20th century. The stories focus on the experiences of Jewish characters living in the ghetto, capturing their struggles, identities, and relationships within a changing society. Through a blend of humor and tragedy, Zangwill illustrates the lives of these individuals, emphasizing the complexities and challenges they face in the pursuit of acceptance and belonging. The opening of "Ghetto Comedies" introduces the character of Israel Quarriar, a Jewish artist seeking a model for his painting of the Man of Sorrows. During his quest, he encounters Quarriar, a darkly bearded man sitting on a curb in Brighton, embodying the profound sadness he aims to depict. As the narrator learns about Quarriar's past—his escape from Russia and the hardships he endures in London—these early pages set the stage for a deeper exploration of themes such as suffering, identity, and the search for dignity in a cruel world. The initial chapters illustrate not only the personal history of the model but also hint at the collective history of the Jewish community, establishing a poignant backdrop for the stories that follow. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

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Author Zangwill, Israel, 1864-1926
Title Ghetto Comedies
Contents The model of sorrows -- Anglicization -- The Jewish trinity -- The Sabbath question in Sudminster -- The red mark -- The bearer of burdens -- The luftmensch -- The tug of love -- The Yiddish 'Hamlet' -- The converts -- Holy wedlock -- Elijah's goblet -- The hirelings -- Samooborona.
Credits E-text prepared by David Edwards, Jeannie Howse, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (www.pgdp.net) from digital material generously made available by Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries (www.archive.org/details/toronto)
Reading Level Reading ease score: 74.5 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read.
Language English
LoC Class PR: Language and Literatures: English literature
Subject Jews -- Fiction
Subject Jewish fiction
Category Text
eBook-No. 28982
Release Date
Copyright Public domain in the USA.
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