Modern Jewish Literature (279-0-1)
Topic
Exploring Hebrew Literature (in Translation): Past
Instructors
Guy Ehrlich
Crowe, 5-167
Office Hours: Wednesday 1:00 - 2:00
Guy Ehrlich (Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, 2021) is a postdoctoral fellow at the Crown Family Center for Jewish and Israel Studies at Northwestern University. Previously, he was an Einstein Foundation postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Hebrew Literature at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His Ph.D. dissertation is a monographic study of Israeli author Yehudit Hendel (1921-2014). He is interested in modern Hebrew literature, Israeli culture, gender studies, and feminist and queer theory. His articles were published in "Mikan: Journal for Literary Studies" (2019), "Jewish Social Studies" (2020), "Ot: A Journal of Literary Criticism and Theory" (2021), and "Shofar" (forthcoming, 2024). His book manuscript – titled "The Empty Places of Yehudit Hendel" – has recently won the Yaacov Bahat Prize for Best Original Scholarly Book Manuscript in Hebrew and is forthcoming with Haifa University Press (2024).
Meeting Info
Kresge Centennial Hall 2-410: Mon, Wed 11:00AM - 12:20PM
Overview of class
This course seeks to provide a broad introduction to modern Hebrew literature and explore various literary generations, beginning with the rise of Hebrew Revival Literature in the early 20th century, moving through the later writers of Dor Tashah (The 1948 Generation), the subsequent generation of writers from the 1960s and 1970s, and culminating in the postmodern turn of the 1990s and the more contemporary literature of the 2000s. Throughout the course, we will read texts from both central, canonical writers and more marginal, contemporary ones. Additionally, we will examine aspects of gender, sexuality, and ethnicity in Hebrew literature. Ultimately, this course will allow students to discover the beauty and richness of modern Hebrew literature. The literary works will be accompanied by films, academic articles, and theoretical texts. No previous knowledge of Hebrew, Israel, or Judaism is required! All the Hebrew texts will be read in translation.
Registration Requirements
None.
Learning Objectives
• Examine and interpret literary texts using practices of both close reading and comparative reading
• Critically evaluate and analyze literary, cultural, and theoretical texts
• Define and describe different aspects and trends in modern Hebrew literature (in varied contexts - social, cultural, and historical)
• Draw connections and correlations between and across literary texts/Israeli films
• Develop writing, collaboration, and interpersonal communication skills.
Evaluation Method
Attendance & Class participation: 10%
Final paper: 40%
4 Short Response Papers (pass/fail): 10%
2 Long Response Papers: 40%
Class Materials (Required)
Materials will be provided by instructor.
Class Attributes
Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area