109-454 Jerusalem in Jewish Literature

Admission to the postgraduate diploma or fourth year combined honours in Jewish studies.

This subject involves the advanced study of Jewish literary texts - classical, medieval and modern - with special concern for the theme and literary representations in poetry and in prose, of the Heavenly and the Earthly Jerusalem. Attention is also given to major topics in the critical tradition of reading Jewish texts. Students will encounter contemporary authors and poets such as A Oz, A B Yehoshua and Y Amichai. On completion of the subject students should have acquired a deeper and more extensive understanding of the character of Jewish literature throughout its history; and have developed critical skills in its analysis and interpretation.

Written work totalling 5000 words.

Materials prepared by department.

• R Alter, Modern Hebrew Literature. Behrman House.
• Y Amichai C Block & S Mitchell (eds), The Selected Poetry of Yehuda Amichai. Harper & Row.
• J Blocker, Israeli Stories. Schocken Books.
• A Oz, My Michael. Chatto & Windus.
• A B Yehoshua, The Continuing Silence of a Poet. Weidenfield and Nicolson.