EGL 305 - Jr. Seminar (Winter): Contemporary Jewish Fiction

Course Units: 1

In 2020, two distinct groups comprise the majority of Jews in the world: Jews in Israel and Jews in the United States. The contemporary literature of these two “communities” (though varied within themselves, to be sure) will be the focus of this course. Fiction emerging from Israel has been translated for an English-speaking readership - on what, by whom, and with what aim? Similarly, on what do American writers of “Jewish” books focus? How might those concerns complement or diverge from those of writers in Israel? What has happened since 2016. when this seminar last cycled?

The final product of this class is an individually-designed research paper that engages with scholarship; as such, much of the choice of material will be student-directed. A list of some topics and genres for students to consider follows. For specific writers associated with each topic or genre, please contact the professor. A survey of registered students’ interests will inform the final syllabus.

Topics: British Mandate Palestine, 1948 & founding of Israel, adopting/leaving orthodoxy, Jews & sexuality, Non-European (Sephardi, Mizrahi) Jews in Israel or America, Americans in Israel, Israelis in America, Russian-Jewish immigrant writers;

Genres: Jewish magical realism, sci-fi/speculative fiction, short story collections, historical fiction, humorous memoir, graphic novels. CC: HUL, HUM, WAC