Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 2000. [Vol. 6.] Eger Journal of American Studies. (Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 26)

Book reviews - László Dányi: The First Hit for "Multicultural Hemingway Hungary ": Lehel Vadon. Ed. Multicultural Challenge in American Culture—Hemingway Centennial

centricity and the ramifications of the postmodern condition, furthermore it analyzes the impact of culture studies, new historicism and gender theory in contextualizing literary texts, redefining the canon and restructuring priorities. Secondly, as the Hemingway (1899-1961) centennial was celebrated in the year of the conference, four essays in the volume are devoted to Hemingway's art. By considering the significance of race, ethnicity and gender and by focusing on re-reading Hemingway's fiction and on reshaping the Hemingway canon the essay writers present issues that fit into the thematic thread of multicultural challenge. Thirdly, Eger—Hungary, the venue of the conference, the organizers, who are teachers at the first Department of American Studies in Hungary, the majority of lecturers being Hungarian scholars of a variety of disciplines and the publication of the proceedings are all encouraging signs that American Studies is an interdisciplinary field of study which is alive and active in Hungary, in addition, the research carried out by Hungarian scholars can contribute to the development of the methodology of American Studies. The Hungarian perspective creates a frame for the volume itself. In the first article Zsolt K. Virágos, whose works are frequently quoted and referred to in other essays of the volume, analyzes the dilemmas of Hungarian scholars when they need to answer the question whether they are ready to discuss restructured priorities of American society both in a cultural and in a moral sense. He observes the metaphoric shift from the melting pot based on consensus to the boiling pot stirred by conflict through Hungarian eyes. The writer states that multiculturalism is not an exclusively American phenomenon, and Hungarian scholars being distanced from the American scene can detach themselves from dogmatism concerning multiculturalism. He adds that participating in the multicultural context is performed on the existential level. The last two parts of the essay deal with canon formation, the boundaries of American multiculturalism and with multiculturalism as a learning process through which we can acquire the skill of reading other people's image banks. The changing assessment of the canon is illustrated by taking a closer look at the appreciation of such African-American writers as Frederick Douglass and Richard Wright. 204