The Universal Jew: Masculinity, Modernity, and the Zionist Moment

Focusing on literary representations during the formative period of Zionism, this analysis explores how late 19th-century texts contributed to the development of early Zionist consciousness. Through original readings of works by authors like George Eliot and Theodor Herzl, Mikhal Dekel illustrates the transformation of Jewish identity from a minority to a majority culture via male literary characters. The book contextualizes this shift within broader intellectual movements of the time, examining the interplay of modernity, liberalism, and gender in shaping Jewish literary identities.