Description
Book SynopsisThe Holocaust has bequeathed to contemporary society a cultural lexicon of intensely powerful symbols, a vocabulary of remembrance that we draw on to comprehend the otherwise incomprehensible horror of the Shoah. Illustrated with more than forty black-and-white images,
Holocaust Icons probes the history and memory of four of these symbolic relics left in the Holocaust's wake.
Trade Review"Stier's work is stimulating in its erudition, especially its critical eclecticism." * Jewish Book Council *
"This thoughtful, meticulous, and original study constitutes an account of the shaping of historical memory and an illustrative model of the methodology for such processes." * CHOICE *
"Stier has certainly crafted an important and incisive work … Indeed, he succeeds remarkably in his overarching goal of prompting the reader to reflect very deeply." * Shofar *
"Stier offers an interdisciplinary approach to the question of how and in what ways memory becomes history, focusing on the Shoah. Great for students, scholars, and lay audiences." -- Laura Levitt * Temple University *
"Oren Stier has thought deeply, sensitively, and intelligently about the Holocaust and its memorialization. His profound exploration is shaped by literature and history, art and theology, mythology and cultural history. His writing is unfailingly interesting." -- Michael Berenbaum * professor of Jewish studies, American Jewish University in Los Angeles *
"Stier’s book
... provides a significant new resource for navigating a difficult but vital topic" -- David Tollerton * Reading Religion *
Table of ContentsList of Figures
Preface and Acknowledgments
Introduction Holocaust Symbols: The Shapes of Memory
1 Different Trains: Holocaust Artifacts and the Ideologies of Remembrance
2 Thresholds of Initiation: “Arbeit Macht Frei”
3 From Innocence to Experience: An Icon Comes of Age
Anne Frank as a Literary Icon
Anne Frank as Visual Icon
4 The Holocaust as an Iconic Number: Six Million
Conclusion Looking Again at Holocaust Icons
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index
