Description
Book SynopsisNot a Simple Story presents the modern Hebrew writer Shmuel Yosef Agnon in a new lightas an artist cum thinker whose novels and short stories manifest a deep understanding of the social and political crisis at the heart of modern Jewish life. Based on a close reading of Agnon''s seminal novel A Simple Story, the book argues that Agnon was essentially a Jewish nationalist and secular modernist whose critical portrait of modern Jewish life seeks not to demean Jews but to hold them to a higher standard. By demonstrating all that Jewish society lacks, Agnon implicitly shows what it needs for it to thrivea return to such lost notions as Jewish self-respect, heroism, and romantic love. Sharon Green''s scholarly critique of this modern Hebrew classic offers students of Jewish studies a unique opportunity to penetrate the literary enigma Agnon has represented for almost a century.
Table of ContentsChapter 1 The Problem of Love in Modern Literature: A Historical Overview Chapter 2 Agnon the Social Critic: The "Successful" Society and the Stifling of Personal Freedom Chapter 3 Agnon the Psychologist (Part One): The Prevented Hero and His Inner Obstacles Chapter 4 Agnon the Psychologist (Part Two): The Sorrows of Young Hirshl—Madness as the Weak Man's Escape from Unhappiness Chapter 5 Agnon the Theologian: The Crowning Paradox—The Decline of Religion and the Loss of Love Chapter 6 Conclusion: A Portrait of the Artist as an Ironic Romantic—The "Impossibility" of the Jewish Love Story
