Undergraduate

Thursday, February 16, 2012 8:00 PM - Saturday, February 18, 2012 10:00 PMStamp Student Union  : Colony Ballroom   

ENGL 479T/ CMLT 498T / ISRL449L / JWST429LTuesdays 3-6What issues concerned Hebrew literature written before the establishment of the State of Israel, and what issues emerged in the literature written after the establishment of the State? In this class we will consider Hebrew literature as separate from Israeli literature, from the turn of the twentieth century until the present moment. What was the impetus for the revival of Modern Hebrew as a spoken, and not simply a sacred or scholarly tongue in the last century, and how was literary expression in Hebrew an integral part of that movement? How did the limitations of the Hebrew language as a modern mode of expression affect the kind of literature that was composed in Modern Hebrew during the years before the establishment of the State of Israel, and how did the literature change significantly once Hebrew was spoken? Throughout the semester, we will explore the impact of nationalism on literary production, and the nature of literary realism in a non-vernacular context. A variety of different genres will be studied: fiction, poetry, and essays will be complemented by relevant criticism.

Rehearsed play readings by students of English 379M and directed by Professor Michael Olmert. Performances are free and open to the public on Wednesday afternoons at 3:45 pm in Ulrich Recital Hall.  Play readings and dates are as follows: Christopher Hampton, White Chameleon. 1991 on September 21, Euripides, Bachhae. 450 BC. Trans., Colin Teevan, 2002 on October 5, Howard Brenton, In Extremis. 2006 on October 19, Christopher Hampton, The Talking Cure. 2002 on November 2 or 9, and Nickolai Gogol, The Government Inspector. 1836. Trans., David Harrower, 2011 on November 30 or December 7. 

Distinguished classicist Mary Beard, Professor of Classics at Cambridge, will speak on campus Thursday, April 7, at 4:00 pm in Tydings 0117.