Neither With Them, Nor Without Them

Katz (Russian literature and Eurasian studies, St. Anthony's College, Oxford) offers a perspective on representations of Jews in 19th-century realist Russian literature differing from the typical characterization of authors as either philo- or anti-Semitic. Focusing on Dostoyevsky, Gogol, and Turgenev, she interprets their ambiguous views of Jews as Other in historical and personal contexts. For example, from her readings of Turgenev's writings with Jewish characters including "The Yid" (1847) and An Unhappy Girl (1869), she points out that none of his works advocates for equal rights for Jews despite his empathy for them as liberals. Reproduced art illustrations show conceptions of Jewish types. Annotation c2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)