German-Jewish Literature

Literary/ Cultural Context Essay

Pól Ó Dochartaigh (University of Ulster at Coleraine)
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Any definition of what constitutes “German-Jewish Literature” is controversial. For some it is literature in German written by Jews. Others place a very different emphasis on such literature, preferring to speak of “Jewish literature in the German language” (Lamping, p. 11), an approach regarded by some as exclusionist. For still others it is literature written in German on Jewish themes, whether the author is Jewish or not (O'Dochartaigh, p. iii). The most inclusive approach is to regard any literature in German by Jewish writers or with a Jewish theme as “German-Jewish”, but this is by no means universally accepted. The issues offer no easy resolution.

Literature by a Jewish writer on a Jewish theme, such as Lion Feuchtwanger's Jud Süss [Jew Suess, 1925] falls unequivocally

6350 words

Citation: Ó Dochartaigh, Pól. "German-Jewish Literature". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 November 2006 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1688, accessed 19 March 2024.]

1688 German-Jewish Literature 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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