Thomas Pynchon published a short story – while an undergrad at Cornell University in the late 1950s – entitled “The Small Rain” whose main character is Nathan “Lardass” Levine. Pynchon makes him an endearing character who is not without his faults. Pynchon brings out his unique character by situating him within the context of military […]
Near the end of his life, Leslie Fiedler, the celebrated (or is it notorious – Irving Howe – one of the greatest voices in post-WWII literary criticism – thought of Fiedler as a charlatan) Jewish-American literary critic decided to write a book that spoke to his guilt for having been complicit in power. In What […]
I was recently asked to give a list of who I consider the “Top The Seven Schlemiels of the Year” for Queen Mob’s Teahouse’s “Review of 2015.” Should you be interested, here it is: Top Seven Schlemiels of 2015 Larry David has for several years been the most celebrated and recognized schlemiel in visual culture. […]
There are (and have been) countless television shows which make it obvious to the viewer that a character – in this or that situation – has done something awkward. Think, for instance, of Parks and Recreation, Workaholics, Curb Your Enthusiasm, or The Office. Saturday Night Live makes it a staple, and just about every Judd Apatow […]
Comedy is full of surprises. But that’s not always the case. More often than not, we get the same types of stock characters who do what…they always do. However, sometimes a stock comic character may surprise us. And since Hollywood is full of actors who play the same types of comic roles, the same can […]
Over the last decade, we have seen countless films about “middling” or aging schlemiels. Think of Ben Stiller’s roles in Meet the Fockers (2004), Greenberg (2010), or The Heartbreak Kid (2007), Seth Rogen’s Neighbors (2014) or Guilt Trip (2012), or of Judd Apatow’s 40 Year Old Virgin (2005), Knocked Up (2007), or This is 40 (2012). Apatow, […]
After the Holocaust, different scholars and journalists have debated over whether the schlemiel is dead or should live on. Regardless of the debate, however, it is evident that the character has lived on whether in literature or film. One need only go to the movie theater to see the film Neighbors to see this or […]
Schlemiel Theory 