GERM 380EJews in German Literature

Catalog

This course examines the complex interplay between Jewish identity and German culture from the Enlightenment through the 21st century. It considers how Jewish figures have been represented in various literary genres and periods, and how Jewish writers have shaped the German literary landscape. We will analyze texts by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Heinrich Heine, Else Lasker-Schuler, and contemporary authors. The course includes critical reading of primary texts alongside secondary scholarly analyses, fostering an understanding of the historical and cultural dynamics that influenced the literary depiction of Jews in Germany. We will focus on literary responses to significant historical events, including Emancipation, the rise of antisemitism, the Holocaust, and the re-unification of Germany. Course taught in English.