Anti-Semitism and the European Novel

Sundays, January 10, 17, 24, 31 | 10 AM

Taught by Professor Sanford Freedman, this course studies Charles Dickens’ character Fagin in OLIVER TWIST as a literary case study of anti-Semitism in Victorian England, placing it within Dickens’ own correspondences with various Jewish figures concerning the representation of Jews in his works. This 19th century historical period is next compared with two contemporary imaginist novels, Philip Roth’s THE PLOT AGAINST AMERICA and Annette Hess’s DEUTCHES HAUS (The German House). Both play with modes of alternative history and historical reconstruction to portray anti-Semitism during and in the aftermath of the Holocaust.

Registration required. Deadline for registration is January 8.