Women in Jewish Literature

Catalog description

This course will survey short stories and novels by modern Jewish writers, and focus on the characterization of the Jewish woman. The class will explore what, if anything, constitutes the essence of the Jewish woman character. What effect does history have on the formation of these women as strong or weak personalities? How do societal pressures exert themselves on a Jewish woman? Does the woman as intellectual character constitute a threat to her male counterparts? Is there such a thing as "the typical Jewish mother?" Fiction by Malamud, Roth, Ozick, Tillie Olsen, Grace Paley, Delmore Schwartz, I.B. Singer, Tova Mirvis, and others.