Introduction/1 Ⅰ. Cynthia Ozick's Life and Literary Career/1 Ⅱ. Cynthia Ozick in the Critical Context/5 A. Cynthia Ozick Criticism in the United States/5 B. Cynthia Ozick Studies in China/23 Ⅲ. The Theoretical Framework and Structure of the Present Study/25 Chapter One Contemporary Jewish American Fiction and Jewishness/35 Ⅰ. Jewish American Literature as Part of Contemporary American Literature/35 A. Jews and Jewish Culture in Multicultural America/35 B. The Shaping of Jewish American Literature/38 Ⅱ. Contemporary Jewish American Fiction and Jewishness/42 Ⅲ. Jewishness in Cynthia Ozick's Fiction/49 A. Ozick's Definition of Jewishness/50 B. Jewishness in Ozick's Fiction/54 Chapter Two Jewishness and "Literature as Idol"/56 Ⅰ. "A Jewish Writer": an Oxymoron/58 Ⅱ. Idolatry and Imagination/59 A. Heteroglossia in "The Pagan Rabbi"/61 B. Polyphonic Narrative in "The Pagan Rabbi"/63 Ⅲ. Idolatry and Language Worship/73 A. Language's Meaningfulness/74 B. Language's Peril and Destructiveness/77 C. Ozick's Corona: Reading in a Non-idolatrous Manner/79 D. Lars's Redemption/83 Chapter Three Jewishness and History Representation/85 Ⅰ. Fictional Construction and Deconstruction of Jewish Memories/86 A. Jewish Cultural Crisis/86 B. Construction and Deconstruction of the Past in Ruth Puttermesser/89 Ⅱ. Midrashic Representation of the Holocaust/95 A. Midrashic Mode, a Nonoppositional Approach/95 B. Midrashic Representation of Historicity and Figuration in The Shawl/99 Chapter Four Jewishness and Feminine Representation/115 Ⅰ. Cynthia Ozick's Tension as a Jewish Woman Writer in Diaspora/116 A. Prejudice in Ozick's Educational and Professional Life/116 B. Orthodox Judaic Gender Law Prohibiting Women/ll8 C. The Negative Reception of Women's Writing/120 Ⅱ. Female Protagonists and Orthodox Judaic Gender Law/123 A. "Levitation": Marital Oppression/124 B. "Puttermesser and Xanthippe": Professional Oppression/128 Ⅲ. Jewish Mothering in the Holocaust/133 A. Mothering Stereotypes/133 B. Essentialism and Social Constructionisrn/134 C. Rosa in "The Shawl"/136 Ⅳ. "Eros of Ideas": Feminist Mending of Orthodox Judaic Gender Law/145 A. "Eros of ideas"/146 B. Imagination for the Female Protagonists: "Conjuring" and "Purifying"/148 Chapter Five Jewishness and Literary Narrative/160 Ⅰ. Heteroglossia and Polyphonic Narrative/163 Ⅱ Metafictional Intrusion Narrative/165 Ⅲ. Writing Degree Zero/167 Ⅳ. Intertextuality/169 A. Adaptation/170 B. Allusion/172 Conclusion/177 Works Cited/184 Acknowledgements/! 93
