Nathanael West And Black Humor

Nathanael West (1903-1940), one of the most talented American writers in the 1930s, was originally named Nathan Weinstein. Like his Russian-Jewish parents who aspired after "Americanized success", West refused to accept his Jewish status and tried to stand apart from the mainstream of American Jewish life. This uncertainty of identity and severe clashes between American culture and his Jewish background decidedly influenced his pessimistic temperament, his odd reading interests and his prophetic creation.West was not a prolific writer, nor did he enjoy a high popularity in his lifetime. But now he is widely hailed as the great progenitor of Black Humor and even as one of the most revolutionary modern American writers. His posthumous reputation is chiefly based on his four works, including The Dream Life of Balso Snell (1931), Miss Lonelyhearts (1933), A Cool Million (1934), and The Day of the Locust (1939). In each of his books, West explores the theme of alienation in different ways and presents a drama of Black Humor. Miss Lonelyhearts, his second and most famous novel, supplies a perfect model for us to enjoy its thematic and stylistic features of Black Humor.This thesis is composed of five parts.The introduction part gives a brief account of this study.In the first chapter, through the analysis of how West's double personality influences his prophetic creation, the author attempts to point out some connections between Nathanael West of the 30s and Black Humor of the 60s.The second chapter explores the alienated features of main characters of Miss Lonelyhearts and expresses West's great concern with the theme of alienation, one of the most prevalent topics of Black Humorists.The third chapter of this study examines West's highly experimentalwriting techniques such as "the form of a comic strip," poetic imagery, and the European tone, which help to establish its Black Humor style.In the conclusion part, the author further confirms that Nathanael West does fully deserve the title of the great Black Humor progenitor. His reputation, however, never stops here. The prophetic description in his works, which directly or indirectly influences a large group of post-war American writers, actually reveals the permanent dilemma of human beings.