Jewish-related Metaphors in English and American Literature --Intolerance and Tolerance Intertwined

在我的第一篇专题论文《中世纪和文艺复兴时期英国文学中与犹太人有关的形象》（1992）中，我不得不从神学反犹主义的历史调查开始——早期教父是如何任意扭曲保罗的戒律的，以及这些激进的反犹偏见是如何渗透到中世纪英国社会的不可避免的结果。像《约克循环》这样的神秘剧证明了当代犹太人是如何被怀疑和憎恨的。在关于《女修道院院长的故事》（乔叟）和《威尼斯商人》以及神秘剧的解释性文章中，对犹太历史的理解明显不足尤其是日本的非犹太人学者。当然，犹太作家们试图用各种可以想象到的控诉或辩护的表达方式，来挽回《夏洛克》中所代表的恶毒的犹太人形象。例如，盎格鲁犹太剧作家阿诺德·威斯克（Arnold Wesker）创造了一个完全不同的自由知识分子夏洛克。这当然使夏洛克摆脱了半魔鬼的倾向，但同时也剥夺了威斯克的剧本中莎士比亚原作所特有的那种压倒性的活力或戏剧性效果，从而重新暗示了人类心理的复杂性。在我的第二篇文章《早期现代英国文学中与犹太人有关的形象》（1993）中，我试图找出是否有任何文学作品成功地塑造了一个既不完全是圣人也不完全是恶棍的犹太人形象。在分析了斯科特的《艾芬豪》（丽贝卡和艾萨克）、狄更斯的《雾都孤儿》（费金）和乔治·艾略特的《丹尼尔·德龙达》之后，我不得不得出这样的结论：这些小说中描绘的几乎所有犹太人角色都是神话或“反神话”的，从而再次证明了犹太-基督教相互理解的困难。我将再写三篇论文来探讨现代晚期英国文学和美国文学的相同主题。

In my first project essay "Jewish-related Images in Medieval and Renaissance English Literature"(1992), I had to start with a historical survey of theological antisemitism--how early Church Fathers distorted Pauline precepts arbitrarily, and as an inevitable result how these radically anti-Jewish prejudices permeated the medieval English society. The mystery plays such as York Cycle evidence how contemporary Jews were regarded with suspicion and abhorrence. Among interpretative essays on "The Prioress's Tale"(Chaucer) and The Merchant of Venice as well as on the mystery plays there is a conspicuous lack of understanding as to Jewish history on the part especially of gentile scholars including those in Japan. Naturally Jewish authors have tried to redeem such malicious Jewish images as represented in Shylock with every accusatory or vindicative turn of expression imaginable. Anglo-Jewish playwright Arnold Wesker, for example, created an entirely different Shylock as a liberal intellectual. This certainly ridded Shylock of a semi-devilish predisposition, but at the same time deprived Wesker's play of that overwhelming dynamism or dramatic effect which characterized Shakespeare's original, thus hinting anew at the complexity of the human psyche.In my second essay "Jewish-related Images in Early Modern English Literature"(1993), I tried to find out if there was any literary work that managed to create a well-balanced image of the Jew who is neither saint nor villain entirely. After analyzing Scott's Ivanhoe (Rebecca and Isaac), Dickens's Oliver Twist (Fagin), and George Eliot's Daniel Deronda, I had to conclude that almost all Jewish characters depicted in these novels were mythical or "anti-mythical,"thus proving anew the difficulty of Jewish-Christian mutual understanding. I will write three more essays to pursue the same theme in late modern English literature and also in American literature.