A study of the artist-heroes of Mordecai Richler : problems of distance and sympathy in his realistic novels
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This thesis identifies problems of narrative distance and sympathy in the realistic novels which Mordecai Richler writes about artist-figures. Lack of distance creates a problem for Richler: he is so close to his protagonists and shares so many of their assumptions that he often fails to make a convincing case for them in terms that scrutinize their vision with any kind of rigor.Chapter One introduces the rhetorical devices Richler employs in The Acrobats to manipulate our emotional responses towards Andre Bennett. Chapter Two examines the methods Richler uses to create sympathy for Noah Adler in Son Of A Smaller Hero, focussing on the lack of distance between Richler and Noah which is betrayed by Richler's refusal to reveal anything that undermines Noah unless it is defused by rhetorical devices. Chapter Three confirms that Richler is too close to his artist-hero in A Choice of Enemies to deal adequately and intelligently with such topics as expatriatism and The Spanish Civil War. Chapter Four offers a brief allusion to Richler's experiment with black humour as a necessary prelude to a critique of his latest two novels, in which he makes limited gains in solving some of the problems created by a lack of distance.
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This work is available on request. You can request a copy at https://library.carleton.ca/forms/request-pdf-copy-thesis
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Copyright © 1984 the author(s). Theses may be used for non-commercial research, educational, or related academic purposes only. Such uses include personal study, research, scholarship, and teaching. Theses may only be shared by linking to Carleton University Institutional Repository and no part may be used without proper attribution to the author. No part may be used for commercial purposes directly or indirectly via a for-profit platform; no adaptation or derivative works are permitted without consent from the copyright owner.
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- 1984
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