John M Egan

The Stereotyped Jew John M Egan

"The Jewish Stereotype in English Literature" traces the origins and evolution of hateful images of Jews in the works of Shakespeare, Dickens, and others in English literature, as a way of understanding why anti-Semitism exists today. Where did the stereotype of the greedy Jewish moneylender come from? Did William Shakespeare create a Jewish villain because of a hatred for Jewish people? Did he know any Jewish people? What prompted Charles Dickens to rewrite parts of his already-popular novel, Oliver Twist, in order to remove anti-Semitic references? These and other questions are explored in "The Jewish Stereotype in English Literature."