Alternate Histories as Cultural Paradigms: A study of Jewish Sensibility in the Alternate Histories of Philip Roth and Harry Turtledove.

Abstract

Alternate history is a genre that reconstructs history by probing into the possible consequences of seminal events in history. The genre sheds lights into the cultural and historical sensibility of the people through these reconstructions. Both Philip Roth and Harry Turtledove made an indelible image with their portrayal of the cultural issues especially the conflicts experienced and shared by the Jewish society like anti- Semitism, alienation and identity crisis in their novels. Though discuss political and historical context of seminal events in history, alternate history can be read to explore the cultural history of the minorities who were silenced by the power structure.