Crisis and covenant : the Holocaust in American Jewish fiction / Alan L. Berger.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Berger, Alan L., 1939-

Series:

SUNY Series in Modern Jewish Literature and Culture

SUNY series in modern Jewish literature and culture

SUNY series in Modern Jewish Literature and Culture

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

American fiction--Jewish authors--History and criticism.

American fiction.

American fiction--20th century--History and criticism.

Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945), in literature.

Covenants--Religious aspects--Judaism.

Covenants.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (235 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Albany, N.Y. : State University of New York Press, c1985.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Explores how Jewish American writers have grappled with the enormity of the Holocaust. In Crisis and Covenant , Alan L. Berger delivers a powerful and thought-provoking exploration of how American Jewish fiction has grappled with the cataclysm of the Holocaust. Situating literature at the crossroads of memory, theology, and identity, Berger examines how post-Auschwitz Jewish writers reinterpret the ancient concept of Covenant in light of unprecedented historical trauma. Through nuanced readings of major American Jewish authors--including Saul Bellow, Cynthia Ozick, Bernard Malamud, Elie Wiesel, Philip Roth, and others--Berger traces the transformation of Jewish thought from religious and secular perspectives, exploring how the Holocaust serves as both a rupture and a point of reflection in modern Jewish narrative. He addresses the crucial question: Can fiction truly represent the Holocaust, and if so, what responsibilities do Jewish writers bear? Divided into thematic responses--religious, secular, and symbolic-- Crisis and Covenant reveals how these authors wrestle with Jewish identity, memory, and survival in a world shadowed by genocide. Blending literary criticism with theological inquiry, Berger presents a compelling study that challenges easy categorizations and opens new avenues for understanding American Jewish literature and its ongoing dialogue with history.

Contents:

""Front Matter ""; ""Half Title Page ""; ""Title Page ""; ""Copyright ""; ""Table of Contents ""; ""Acknowledgments""; ""Content ""; ""Introduction: Jewish Existence""; ""Covenant Transformations""; ""Covenant and Modernity""; ""The Contemporary Covenantal Crisis""; ""Literary Response to Covenant Crisis""; ""American Judaism and the Holocaust""; ""Contributions of American Jewish Holocaust Novelists""; ""Holocaust As Watershed""; ""Holocaust Problematics""; ""Theological Responses""; ""Theology and Literature""; ""Is the Holocaust Beyond Artistic Expression?""

""Who Should Write of the Holocaust?""""Trivializing the Holocaust""; ""American Jewish Writers and the Holocaust: A Critique""; ""The Role of the American Jewish Novelist""; ""Holocaust Responses I:Judaism As A Religious Value System""; ""The Holocaust and American Diaspora Jewry""; ""Hasidic Tales""; ""Considering the Evidence""; ""Arthur A. Cohen""; ""Cynthia Ozick""; ""Hugh Nissenson""; ""Elie Wiesel""; ""Isaac Bashevis Singer""; ""Holocaust Responses II:Judaism As A Secular Value System""; ""Considering the Evidence""; ""Bernard Malamud""; ""Saul Bellow""; ""Susan F. Schaeffer""

""Cynthia Ozick""""PRE-HOLOCAUST AMERICA: JEWISH EXISTENCE AND COVENANT DIMINISHMENT""; ""Hugh Nissenson""; ""Robert Kotlowitz""; ""Conclusion""; ""Holocaust Responses III:Symbolic Judaism""; ""Considering The Evidence""; ""Philip Roth""; ""Richard Elman""; ""Edward Lewis Wallant""; ""Norma Rosen""; ""Bernard Malamud""; ""Conclusion""; ""Holocaust And Covenant""; ""The Central Question for Contemporary Judaism""; ""Holocaust Fiction Lato Sensu""; ""Problems and Possibilities""; ""Back Matter ""; ""Notes""; ""Index""

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780791496442

0791496449