Everything is Illuminated is the first novel of Jonathan Safran Foer. Part fiction, part autobiographical, Everything is Illuminated follows the story of a character named Jonathan (appropriately) who travels to the Ukraine to discover the history of his grandfather and the small Jewish shtetl that he grew up in. Foer did in fact take this trip as a young college undergraduate at Princeton. And like the fictional Jonathan, Foer was never able to find the village or woman that he was looking for. This experience inspired Foer to write Everything is Illuminated. In it, Foer plays with many of the ideas and questions that he had while on his own journey such as the role of memory and...
Join Now to View Premium Content
GradeSaver provides access to 2360 study guide PDFs and quizzes, 11007 literature essays, 2767 sample college application essays, 926 lesson plans, and ad-free surfing in this premium content, “Members Only” section of the site! Membership includes a 10% discount on all editing orders.
