Masculinity, Anti-Semitism and Early Modern English Literature: From the Satanic to the Effeminate Jew by Matthew Biberman

Review by: B. J. Sokol The Review of English Studies, New Series, Vol. 56, No. 227 (Nov., 2005), pp. 783-785 Published by: Oxford University Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3661252 . Accessed: 16/02/2014 16:12
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Let us hope thatLow's melancholy intimations of cultural vandalism are misplaced. His ownbookcertainly standsas a monument to theliberal humanist tradition (though nottheneoliberal: Low has hardwords fortheleaders ofthewarofliberation the against former tucked at homewiththe Yugoslavia awayin a note on page 235).He is clearly canonfrom Homerto Milton--and Western no doubtbeyond. He has also worked hard to graspthesubtleties and complexities ofreligious doctrine and custom, and one might in the chapters on objectthatthereis perhapstoomuchspace givento thesematters so thatthe literary Gawainand Spenser, textturnsout to be ancillary to the religious to this emphasis). His 'background' (thoughotherreaderswill be more favourable on 'selected works of greatinterest decisionto concentrate in themliterary exclusively turnsin the history of individuality and selves,worksthatalso illustrate significant andtheir relation to community and society' defensible subjectivity obviously (p. xi),while limits It is notclearto on thesegrounds, nevertheless on theproject. placesquitestrait that or thefirst bookof TheFaerie Low on thetopic, Gawain me,evenafter reading Queene as Hamlet and Paradise are quiteso epochalin thehistory of subjectivity Lost.And even in the general mustadmitthata minorworkmayspeakmoreto elements canonists the of cultural than works such as ones gathered history exceptional development as a wholetakes on various and thevolume here.However, theseare illuminating essays, to witha degreeof quietsuccess.It deserves towards subjectivity postmodern positions be readcarefully.
MATTHEW PINCOMBE

doi:10.1093/res/hgil12
MATTHEW BIBERMAN. Masculinity, Anti-Semitism and Early Modern English

Literature:From the Satanic to the Effeminate Jew.Pp. xiv+260 (Womenand Aldershot: 2004.?45.00. in theEarly ModemWorld). Gender Ashgate,

andoriginal thesis varied textual This bookpromotes an important expressions linking thatare seen overa withshifting cultural and anxieties of anti-Semitism imperatives of disparaging a pattern Biberman explores Centrally, long span of Europeanhistory been and despite the which have of the and applied, 'Jew-Devil' 'Jew-Sissy' stereotypes toJewish menin particular. their contrasts sometimes appliedsimultaneously, Using examplestaken fromRobert Wilson, Marlowe,Chaucer,and especially of and first TheMerchant Biberman's introduction of Venice, chapter expounda theory and of matrix' notions a 'theo-sexual Christians, Jews. femininity, masculinity, linking also alleges that notionsof the sublimewhichreplacedGod in The introduction in theHolocaust, were andmodern culture Romantic, resulting destroyed Enlightenment, in postmodernism. In some cases of thebookvigorously The remainder appliessuch ideas to literature. towrench texts with intricate seem a desire to connect preordained patterns may complex norms of criticaldecorum.But Biberman's or stretch contexts, approachhas the Indeed he and procedures. of beingquite explicit aboutits radicalassumptions virtue and his astute on the value of controversy both repeatedremarks suggests, through to open up valueofcriticism lies in its ability thata primary ofother studies, critiques debate. newchannels for of in a moment locatesits origins introduction This book'sunusually self-revealing as 'racially inflected which suchhermetic-seeming studies psychophrases during literary heldsway. Indeedquitea lot ofevenmorearcanetheory-speak appears analytic critique' all in it, although, jargonnor unanswerable empty happily, of it appearsto me neither of persecution Bibermanneverassumesthe moral rhetoric. Despite his discussions

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In short, views tohismust be excoriated. nordoeshe suggest that he ground, contrary high and fully abstains from thosetactics ofsomepoliticized invites 'literary theory' argument thataimto forestall all objections. of I findit odd, however, thatone potentially concept-that germane psychoanalytic or Freud'sunconscious Melanie Klein's'projective-identification' men'projection'-is be tionedin passing, but neverfully For the conceptof projection might deployed. the evolution used to summarize Biberman's main thesisin this manner: of Western ofa Christian its ownunwanted is a story anti-Semitism majority repeatedly projecting and particularly men. Thus or denied aspects onto 'the Jews', Biberman's Jewish and 'Jew-Sissy' wouldbelongto one and the seemingly contradictory 'Jew-Devil' images same construction, thatof projection, dominant inflected content onlyby the current oftheprojection excessive or the'feminization' ofwhat Biberman calls (either masculinity 'thebourgeois oedipalized male'). It is possiblethatBiberman did not stressa unifying of projection because pattern socialorintra-subjective to seem essentialism psychologizing might developments suggest or foundationalism. He clearly does objectstrongly to StevenSpielberg's film Schindler's Listbecausehe finds in it an implication of an atemporal humannature. He holds,on the contrary, thatthereare no humanpropensities or predicaments of independent a 'propulsive historical I framework' find this Hegelian explanation unlikely; making an analogy withunconscious not an atemporal, projection requires onlya long-lasting, in thesocieties under propensity scrutiny. More likely, Biberman the application of a pattern of projection to antidownplays Semitism becausea target ofprojection has no reasonto be specifically a Jew, or thekind ofwoman or monster whomight standin for a Jew. That is, a theory ofprojection might seem to dilute Biberman's 'theo-sexual a of theprocesses of matrix', producing reading Western and irrational hatelessJewish-centred thanhis. Much is at stake, for bigotry Biberman asserts thatanti-Semitism and its sexualmatrix at the is specifically centrally coreofall suchprocesses. The supportor otherwise forthe theory of a 'theo-sexual matrix' mustlie in its cultural test instances are found in Biberman's powerto interpret objects. specific Many first a rangeof early modern texts and then,in its last book,which interprets literary latercanonicalliterary textsand non-canonical, third, polemical, popular,and even cinematic texts. Mostofthesereadings areexciting and resourceful, somemay but,as I havesuggested, seem unbalanced or builton shaky I will offer foundations. a fewexamples. we First, thebabbling ofDol Commonin TheAlchemist about'Rabbins' and 'Talmud mayaskwhy skill'is considered of theludicrousness of a mock-learned onlyin terms woman, Jewish a'MadamRabbi'? all sorts oflinguistic orjargon, Jonson's plays repeatedly parody pretence as for instancein Puritancant, alchemists' the inflations of earlymodern prattle, or technical virtuosi, legallanguage. Moreover, they frequently display misogynist hilarity at theanticsof self-proclaimedly learned women. thesefactors intoaccountmay Taking makeBiberman's identification of the comedyof Dol's ravings with single-threaded a supposedfeminization ofthehyper-masculine seemmyopic. 'Jew-Devil' stereotype It seemsto me aesthetically to allegethatthemarvellous blinkered passagein Donne's IWeedyeand rise 'The Canonisation' bothsexesfit. 'So, to one neutrall concluding thing i Mysterious thesame, andprove andis evidence bythislove'expresses 'hypermasculinity', of 'homodevotion', becausebothlovers must be men,sincethey are'ableto risethesame'. Evenanatomical oftheRenaissance texts woulddictate otherwise. I wouldalso takeissue with Biberman's that theimagery ofa self-repairing bower in Paradise suggestion marriage Lostimplies thatEvewillbecomea virgin for Adamto enjoy afresh. againevery morning

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It is allegedthatthisis so to enableAdamto 'manageto display sufficient endurance, trueto his wife'. These remarks indicate a viewofthepaincausedby thereby remaining 'thelawofmonogamy' and ofthepleasures ofsexualnovelty, is at oddswith which all of and nuanced Milton's ofmarriage. complex representations and stillon the topicof marriage, I am afraid thatthe theoretical cartoften Finally, runsbefore the historical horsein the chapter on a revisionist viewof early centring modern An over-reliance on thehistorian divorce. Lawrence Stonemayaccount English forthis.Stone'smuch-criticized workis not currently authoritative in legal-historical or social-historical terms. It seemsto haveled to a breezy thenas now, that, assumption wasviewed as optional: Biberman asserts thatfor Milton's audience theSamson marriage of theBible could havebeen read'as a Restoration witwho senthis first wifepacking in orderto shackup withDalila' Moreover, farfrom that beingan aspectof divorce 'minor' to all but a few as have moralists (such Caryand might appeared unrepresentative a divorced and thuswhether Milton),the questionof whether personmight remarry, of the married was a momentous one for divorce allow the fullreversal status, might It was forthisreasonthatMilton, and his English society. seventeenth-century English facedsuch censure. such as WilliamWhately, Neither, pace Stone,were predecessors whether or not theywere viewed marital Church-sanctioned then, separations lightly an entire On thecontrary, and effective followed bigamy. bastard-getting, byconcubinage, 1610or earlier therewas a movement has shownthatfrom schoolof social historians this had of irregular unions and concubinage: increaseddisapproval towards greatly effects not onlyin Englandbut throughout measurable Europe.Because the legal and wereuniversally understood to be profound, of the married status social consequences butalmost and Miltondiscussed theworks ofJonson, notonly every Cary, byBiberman, the difficulties and manymoreby his contemporaries, explored playby Shakespeare, to claimsmade, and paradoxes Moreover, contemporary marriage. contrary surrounding church courtsin the werenot easilyobtained from etthoro marital a mensa separations in a abortive made after in 1552-3, and, attempt parliamentary single period question, for any price before1670,afterthe time when divorces were whollyunobtainable orMilton were writing. Jonson, Cary, or positions someofBiberman's paradoxireadings point, concerning My reservations in his work.Details alone can corroborate cally,mainlyto what is praiseworthy to particular but despitetherebeingsome possibleexceptions in a solid way, theories and Like all remain astute main Biberman's genuinely challenging. arguments points, and debate. The questions his demand evaluation and substantial useful arising theories, a subject. hinder butonly can never and testable theories from well-articulated propel valuable in application. can proveuniquely ideas and insights Biberman's Theyhave, recent as it ofthepopular the me to for recognize 'deep structure' were, example, helped his ideas in a broader is notat all shyof applying Biberman himself filmWalk on Water. ofwhat he calls'postmodern finishes with a chilling account context. Thus,hislastchapter the collapse afterthe Holocaustfollowing which,he holds,emerged anti-Semitism', of theories. He citesas an example 'scientific' anti-Semitic or coherent of all totalizing time finds that at one and the same a anti-Semitism 'myth' reported widely postmodern 11attacks and simultaof 'Bin Laden and his network' the heroicwork the September a newkindof irrationalism Thus he addresses deeds of the'Jews' the dastardly neously an understanding ofutterances. theattitudinal with is concerned that Seeking impact only future. in theforeseeable be morethaneverin demand ofthismay
B. J. SOKOL

London University

doi:10.1093/res/hgill3

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