The Heart's Essential Landscape (American University Studies Series Xxiv, American Literature)

The Heart's Essential Landscape is a comprehensive account of Bernard Malamud's fiction, with special emphasis on the development of the distinctive Malamud hero. The book takes a fresh approach to Malamud's work, noting the basic dignity and humanity of his characters. Careful attention is paid to the hero, who becomes more ordinary, flawed, more fully human. This book corrects earlier misreadings and should soon establish itself as a base for future Malamud commentary.