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    A Study Guide for Bernard Malamud's "The Natural"
    A Study Guide for Bernard Malamud's "The Natural"
    A Study Guide for Bernard Malamud's "The Natural"
    Ebook32 pages49 minutes

    A Study Guide for Bernard Malamud's "The Natural"

    By Gale and Cengage

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    About this ebook

    A Study Guide for Bernard Malamud's "The Natural," excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Novels for Students. This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Novels for Students for all of your research needs.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherCengage Learning - Gale
    Release dateJun 27, 2016
    ISBN9781535838580
    A Study Guide for Bernard Malamud's "The Natural"

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      Book preview

      A Study Guide for Bernard Malamud's "The Natural" - Gale

      3

      The Natural

      Bernard Malamud

      1952

      Introduction

      In his Dictionary of Literary Biography article on Bernard Malamud, Joel Salzberg notes that the author holds a preeminence among Jewish-American writers that has consistently been reaffirmed by recent critical assessments. Malamud, however, began his career with his popular first novel, The Natural, influenced by his love of baseball and his fascination with stories of the mythological quest for the Holy Grail. The novel's allegorical framework blends realism and fantasy in its exploration of the theme of moral responsibility. Malamud employs forces of good and evil to complicate the choices and consequences that face his protagonist.

      The novel introduces Roy Hobbs, an initially innocent young man, who strives to be the best there ever was in the game of baseball. As he attempts to reach that goal, his moral courage will be tested. Ultimately, this flawed hero will learn too late of the consequences of blind ambition. The novel received mixed reviews when it first appeared, due to its complex narrative structure. However, critical response grew to the point where many now consider it among Malamud's best works.

      Author Biography

      Malamud set The Natural in New York City, where he was born in 1914 and raised by his Russian Jewish immigrant parents. Growing up near Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, Malamud became an avid fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers and of baseball as an American pastime. In 1936 he earned a B.A. from the City College of New York, where he became interested in the Grail legend, and in 1942 a M.A. in literature from Columbia University. Other than serving as a clerk at the Census Bureau in Washington, D.C. in 1940, he devoted his life to teaching and writing. He began his teaching career in New York City high schools and from

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