"Humboldt's Gift"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses Saul Bellow's "Humboldt's Gift", part autobiography and part American novel. The paper explains how Bellow details a winding plot intricately involving a persona who represents himself - Charlie Citrine - and a persona who represents the real life Delmore Schwartz - Von Humboldt Fleisher. The paper contends that one of the most powerful themes of the book is the power that Von Humboldt Fleisher has over Charlie Citrine. The paper explains that their relationship mirrored the real life relationship between Bellow and Schwartz, illustrating how Fleisher's character mirrors Schwartz in that he is a very smooth manipulator.

From the Paper:

"But most of the plot stems from the amazing parallels between Bellow's own life and Citrine's: Bellow experienced agony as an American superstar of a writer, and he traces this agony in Citrine's character. 'Humboldt's Gift' sets up the role of the artist in an unforgiving and materialistic American society. In America, science is paramount: The United States is an advanced technological society that is controlled almost exclusively by capitalistic motives and it is entirely shackled by the concept of money, as Martin Amis so acutely observes in his distopia, "Money.""

More papers on "Humboldt's Gift":

• Essay # 85741 : " "The Gift of the Magi"
• Research Paper # 110216 : "Alexander Humboldt"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: