Schlemiel: Difference between revisions
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'''Schlemiel''' (Yiddish: שלעמיל; sometimes spelled '''shlemiel''') is a Yiddish term meaning "unlucky bungler" or "chump."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/schlemiel|title=Definition of SCHLEMIEL|website=www.merriam-webster.com|language=en|access-date=2017-11-17}}</ref> It is a common archetype in [[Jewish humour|Jewish humor]], and so-called "''schlemiel'' jokes" depict the ''schlemiel'' falling into unfortunate situations.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/schlemiels-schlemazels/|title=Schlemiel Jokes {{!}} My Jewish Learning|work=My Jewish Learning|access-date=2017-11-17|language=en-US}}</ref> |
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The inept ''schlemiel'' is often presented alongside the unlucky ''schlimazel''. A Yiddish saying explains that "a ''schlemiel'' is somebody who often spills his soup and a ''schlimazel'' is the person it lands on."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/barry-kibrick/schlemiel-schlimazel-hase_b_8512356.html|title=Schlemiel! Schlimazel! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated!|last=Kibrick|first=Barry|date=2015-11-09|website=Huffington Post|language=en-US|access-date=2017-11-17}}</ref> The ''schlemiel'' is similar to the ''schmuck'' but, as stated in a 2010 essay in [[The Forward]], a ''schmuck'' can improve himself while a ''schlemiel'' is "irredeemably what they are."<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://forward.com/culture/127941/etiquette-for-schmucks-schlemiels-schlimazels-and/|title=Etiquette for Schmucks, Schlemiels, Schlimazels and Schmendriks|work=The Forward|access-date=2017-11-17}}</ref> |
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While the etymology of the term is unknown, one popular theory is that it comes from the Hebrew term ''shelo mo'il'', meaning "useless."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.balashon.com/2009/12/shlemiel.html|title=shlemiel|website=www.balashon.com|access-date=2017-11-17}}</ref> Another theory is that the word is derived from the name Shelumiel, an Israeli chieftain.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://forward.com/culture/1043/shelumiel-e2-80-94-the-first-schlemiel/|title=Shelumiel — The First Schlemiel?|work=The Forward|access-date=2017-11-17}}</ref> Others claim that the term originated with the character [[Peter Schlemihl]], the main character of a novella by [[Adelbert von Chamisso]]. |
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In [[Culture of the United States|American culture]], the term ''schlemiel'' is known most for its usage in the theme song of the [[sitcom]] ''[[Laverne & Shirley]]''. The show's [[Title sequence|opening theme]] began with the title characters chanting, "''Schlemiel''! ''Schlimazel''! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated!"<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/s/laverne-shirley-25-things-you-never-knew-121695390055.html|title=Schlemiel, Schlimazel: 25 Things You Never Knew About 'Laverne & Shirley'|access-date=2017-11-17|language=en-US}}</ref> |
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== In film and television == |
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* In the [[2009 in film|2009 film]] ''[[A Serious Man]]'' directed by the [[Coen brothers]], the character of Larry Gopnik is depicted as a ''schlemiel''.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/10/05/gods-and-victims|title=Gods And Victims|last=Denby|first=David|date=2009-09-28|work=The New Yorker|access-date=2017-11-17|issn=0028-792X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-arts-and-culture/153484/coen-brothers-inside-llewyn-davis|title=J. Hoberman Reviews the Coen Brothers' 'Inside Llewyn Davis'|work=Tablet Magazine|access-date=2017-11-17|language=en}}</ref> |
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* In a 1944 essay, [[Hannah Arendt]] argues that [[Charlie Chaplin|Charlie Chaplin's]] [[The Tramp|Tramp]] character is a ''schlemiel'' whose only comfort is "the kindness and humanity of casual acquaintances."<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Arendt|first=Hannah|date=1944|title=The Jew as Pariah: A Hidden Tradition|url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/4464588|journal=Jewish Social Studies|volume=6|issue=2|pages=99–122|doi=10.2307/4464588}}</ref> |
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* Many of [[Woody Allen|Woody Allen's]] films feature Allen portraying a ''schlemiel'' type, particularly in his relations with women.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9781118514870.ch19/summary|title=A Companion to Woody Allen|last=Feuer|first=Menachem|date=2013|publisher=John Wiley & Sons, Inc.|isbn=9781118514870|editor-last=Bailey|editor-first=Peter|pages=403–423|language=en|doi=10.1002/9781118514870.ch19/summary|editor-last2=Girgus|editor-first2=Sam}}</ref> |
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* [[Larry David|Larry David's]] character on the [[HBO]] series ''[[Curb Your Enthusiasm]]'' serves as a modern ''schlemiel'', encountering "problems that affect contemporary middle- to upper-class American Jews."<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Gillota|first=David|date=2010-11-22|title=Negotiating Jewishness: Curb Your Enthusiasm and the Schlemiel Tradition|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01956051003725244|journal=Journal of Popular Film and Television|volume=38|issue=4|pages=152–161|doi=10.1080/01956051003725244|issn=0195-6051}}</ref> |
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* In the sitcom [[Seinfeld|''Seinfeld'']], [[George Costanza]] "follows the pattern of the classic ''schlemiel''," with [[Jerry Seinfeld (character)|Jerry Seinfeld's]] character serving as his ''schlimazel''.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Johnson|first=Carla|date=1994-07-01|title=The Schlemiel and the Schlimazl in Seinfeld|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01956051.1994.9943676|journal=Journal of Popular Film and Television|volume=22|issue=3|pages=116–124|doi=10.1080/01956051.1994.9943676|issn=0195-6051}}</ref> |
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* In "[[Park Safety]]," an episode of the [[NBC]] sitcom ''[[Parks and Recreation]]'', [[Ron Swanson]] states that his clumsy coworker [[Jerry Gergich|Jerry]] "is both the ''schlemiel'' and the ''schlimazel''."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/02/and-the-meek-shall-inherit-pawnee/385985/|title=The Downtrodden Jerry Gergich Is the True Hero of 'Parks and Recreation'|last=Garber|first=Megan|work=The Atlantic|access-date=2017-11-17|language=en-US}}</ref> |
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Revision as of 23:16, 17 November 2017
Schlemiel (Yiddish: שלעמיל; sometimes spelled shlemiel) is a Yiddish term meaning "unlucky bungler" or "chump."[1] It is a common archetype in Jewish humor, and so-called "schlemiel jokes" depict the schlemiel falling into unfortunate situations.[2]
The inept schlemiel is often presented alongside the unlucky schlimazel. A Yiddish saying explains that "a schlemiel is somebody who often spills his soup and a schlimazel is the person it lands on."[3] The schlemiel is similar to the schmuck but, as stated in a 2010 essay in The Forward, a schmuck can improve himself while a schlemiel is "irredeemably what they are."[4]
While the etymology of the term is unknown, one popular theory is that it comes from the Hebrew term shelo mo'il, meaning "useless."[5] Another theory is that the word is derived from the name Shelumiel, an Israeli chieftain.[6] Others claim that the term originated with the character Peter Schlemihl, the main character of a novella by Adelbert von Chamisso.
In American culture, the term schlemiel is known most for its usage in the theme song of the sitcom Laverne & Shirley. The show's opening theme began with the title characters chanting, "Schlemiel! Schlimazel! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated!"[7]
In film and television
- In the 2009 film A Serious Man directed by the Coen brothers, the character of Larry Gopnik is depicted as a schlemiel.[8][9]
- In a 1944 essay, Hannah Arendt argues that Charlie Chaplin's Tramp character is a schlemiel whose only comfort is "the kindness and humanity of casual acquaintances."[10]
- Many of Woody Allen's films feature Allen portraying a schlemiel type, particularly in his relations with women.[11]
- Larry David's character on the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm serves as a modern schlemiel, encountering "problems that affect contemporary middle- to upper-class American Jews."[12]
- In the sitcom Seinfeld, George Costanza "follows the pattern of the classic schlemiel," with Jerry Seinfeld's character serving as his schlimazel.[13]
- In "Park Safety," an episode of the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation, Ron Swanson states that his clumsy coworker Jerry "is both the schlemiel and the schlimazel."[14]
- ^ "Definition of SCHLEMIEL". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
- ^ "Schlemiel Jokes | My Jewish Learning". My Jewish Learning. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
- ^ Kibrick, Barry (2015-11-09). "Schlemiel! Schlimazel! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated!". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
- ^ "Etiquette for Schmucks, Schlemiels, Schlimazels and Schmendriks". The Forward. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
- ^ "shlemiel". www.balashon.com. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
- ^ "Shelumiel — The First Schlemiel?". The Forward. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
- ^ "Schlemiel, Schlimazel: 25 Things You Never Knew About 'Laverne & Shirley'". Retrieved 2017-11-17.
- ^ Denby, David (2009-09-28). "Gods And Victims". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
- ^ "J. Hoberman Reviews the Coen Brothers' 'Inside Llewyn Davis'". Tablet Magazine. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
- ^ Arendt, Hannah (1944). "The Jew as Pariah: A Hidden Tradition". Jewish Social Studies. 6 (2): 99–122. doi:10.2307/4464588.
- ^ Feuer, Menachem (2013). Bailey, Peter; Girgus, Sam (eds.). A Companion to Woody Allen. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. pp. 403–423. doi:10.1002/9781118514870.ch19/summary. ISBN 9781118514870.
- ^ Gillota, David (2010-11-22). "Negotiating Jewishness: Curb Your Enthusiasm and the Schlemiel Tradition". Journal of Popular Film and Television. 38 (4): 152–161. doi:10.1080/01956051003725244. ISSN 0195-6051.
- ^ Johnson, Carla (1994-07-01). "The Schlemiel and the Schlimazl in Seinfeld". Journal of Popular Film and Television. 22 (3): 116–124. doi:10.1080/01956051.1994.9943676. ISSN 0195-6051.
- ^ Garber, Megan. "The Downtrodden Jerry Gergich Is the True Hero of 'Parks and Recreation'". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2017-11-17.