Dangling Man
 1st edition cover | |
| Author | Saul Bellow |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | Vanguard Press |
Publication date | 1944 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| ISBN | NA Parameter error in {{ISBNT}}: invalid character |
| Preceded by | first novel |
| Followed by | The Victim |
Dangling Man is a 1944 novel by Saul Bellow. It is his first published work.
Plot summary
Written in diary format, the story centers on the life of an unemployed young man named Joseph, his relationships with his wife and friends, and his frustrations with life. Living in Chicago and waiting to be drafted, the diary acts as a philosophical confessional for his musings. It ends with his entrance into the army during World War II, and a hope that the regimentation of army life will relieve his suffering. Along with Bellow's second novel The Victim, it is considered his "apprentice" work.
Literary significance & criticism
Some critics including Edmund Wilson and Kenneth Fearing deplored the novel's lack of a definite plot, but praised Bellow's depiction of what they saw as the characteristic features of the generation of American intellectuals raised during the Great Depression.
External links
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