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Herzog Study Guide

by Saul Bellow

Herzog study guide contains a biography of Saul Bellow, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

Bellow's novel tells the story of Moses Elkanah Herzog, a scholar of Jewish heritage who is losing faith in himself. The novel opens shortly after his divorce from his second wife, Madeleine, who has taken up with his closest friend, Valentine Gersbach. Moses grows paranoid and is convinced that various figures in his life - his doctor, his lawyer, his therapist, and his aunt - conspired in the destruction of his marriage. He begins writing letters to friends, acquaintances, public figures and philosophers, none of which he sends, in a quest to make sense of his situation.

He spends the first half of the book in transit, first isolating himself in the country home he had bought for Madeleine, before fleeing to New York. There he meets up…

Read the full Herzog Summary

• Herzog Summary
• About Herzog
• Character List
• Glossary of Terms
• Major Themes
• Summary and Analysis of Section 1
• Summary and Analysis of Sections 2 and 3
• Summary and Analysis of Section 4
• Summary and Analysis of Section 5
• Summary and Analysis of Section 6
• Summary and Analysis of Sections 7 and 8
• Summary and Analysis of Section 9
• Narrative Reliability: Insanity in Bellow's Novel
• Related Links on Herzog
• Suggested Essay Questions
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 1
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 2
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 3
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 4
• Author of ClassicNote and Sources

• Herzog: Major Themes
• Herzog: Essays
• Herzog: Questions
• Herzog: Purchase the Novel and Related Material
• Saul Bellow: Biography