Hauptseminar Landmarks of Jewish Literature in England and America

The question of what Jewish literature is has been answered in different ways. Whereas for some it is simply defined by the religious affiliation of the author, others consider certain linguistic features, a distinctive imagination, a sense of diasporic displacement, or an awareness of the Jewish literary tradition essential prerequisites. This literary studies seminar will focus on novels, plays and poems that deal with characteristic Jewish experiences in the wake of the mass immigration of Eastern European Jews to Western Europe and the USA after 1880. Whether they concentrate on the problems of adapting to new physical, social and cultural surroundings, lament the disintegrations of familial and religious securities, or reflect upon the horrors of persecution and annihilation, all of these texts negotiate the meaning of Jewish identity in modern times. The class will study some of the best-known examples of Jewish writing in the USA and England, Abraham Cahan's Yekl (1896), Israel Zangwill's The Melting Pot (1908), Henry Roth's Call it Sleep (1934) and the poetry of Elaine Feinstein among them. Editions used in the seminar: Abraham Cahan, Yekl and the Imported Bridegroom and Other Stories of the New York Ghetto (1896): Dover Publications Israel Zangwill, The Melting Pot (1908): Langenscheidt ELT Henry Roth, Call it Sleep (1934): Penguin Group A detailed seminar programme and further texts will be provided on DuePublico . Anglistik Universität Duisburg-Essen SS 2011 Mag, Magisterstudiengang Anglistik