2011 Reading #68: Fagin the Jew by Will Eisner
Books 1-10.
Books 11-20.
Books 21-30.
Books 31-40.
Books 41-50.
Books 51-60.
61. Red Dragon by Thomas Harris.
62. Rules for Radicals by Saul D. Alinsky.
63. Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin.
64. Redemption In Indigo by Karen Lord.
65. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.
66. James J. Hill: Empire Builder of the Northwest by Michael P. Malone.
67. Meeks: A Novel by Julia Holmes.
68. Fagin the Jew: A Graphic Novel by Will Eisner. So I read that book Oliver Twist, and the anti-Semitism, particularly the way that Fagin was constantly shorthanded as "The Jew" as if to say "This is what Jewish people are, criminals; duh" and his grotesque depiction in the illustrations, bothered me. And it bothered Will Eisner, which is why he wrote this graphic novel. Eisner is amazing as a pioneer, a critic, and an artist, particularly in composition; as a writer, though, I've always been a little underwhelmed with him. Here it helps that he is so passionate about the subject matter, and he takes pains to contextualize the Sephardim and Ashkenazim in Dickens' England; as one of the latter, Fagin's background (as imagined by Eisner) helps to explain his career in the criminal underworld without trying to exculpate his guilt entirely. What Eisner is advocating for is not necessarily redemption, but compassion, and for Fagin (and other Jewish figures) to be depicted as human rather than in the caricatured jutting jaw and nose. In fact much of the answering back to Dickens and Cruikshank (Dickens' illustrator) is not in the story or the text but simply in how Fagin is drawn. The story is still a little bit weak--and oddly, Eisner either changes or mistakes several details from Oliver's story, which he retells in part--but this is a welcome rebuttal to Dickens' thoughtless depiction of Fagin.
Books 11-20.
Books 21-30.
Books 31-40.
Books 41-50.
Books 51-60.
61. Red Dragon by Thomas Harris.
62. Rules for Radicals by Saul D. Alinsky.
63. Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin.
64. Redemption In Indigo by Karen Lord.
65. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.
66. James J. Hill: Empire Builder of the Northwest by Michael P. Malone.
67. Meeks: A Novel by Julia Holmes.
68. Fagin the Jew: A Graphic Novel by Will Eisner. So I read that book Oliver Twist, and the anti-Semitism, particularly the way that Fagin was constantly shorthanded as "The Jew" as if to say "This is what Jewish people are, criminals; duh" and his grotesque depiction in the illustrations, bothered me. And it bothered Will Eisner, which is why he wrote this graphic novel. Eisner is amazing as a pioneer, a critic, and an artist, particularly in composition; as a writer, though, I've always been a little underwhelmed with him. Here it helps that he is so passionate about the subject matter, and he takes pains to contextualize the Sephardim and Ashkenazim in Dickens' England; as one of the latter, Fagin's background (as imagined by Eisner) helps to explain his career in the criminal underworld without trying to exculpate his guilt entirely. What Eisner is advocating for is not necessarily redemption, but compassion, and for Fagin (and other Jewish figures) to be depicted as human rather than in the caricatured jutting jaw and nose. In fact much of the answering back to Dickens and Cruikshank (Dickens' illustrator) is not in the story or the text but simply in how Fagin is drawn. The story is still a little bit weak--and oddly, Eisner either changes or mistakes several details from Oliver's story, which he retells in part--but this is a welcome rebuttal to Dickens' thoughtless depiction of Fagin.