A survey of major themes and topics in Modern Hebrew literature from the middle of the 19th century to the present.  Prereq: English 1110 (110); honors standing for 2702H. Not open to students with credit for 372. GE lit and diversity global studies course.  Cross-listed in Jewish Studies. 

The purpose of this course is to familiarize students with the richly variegated body of modern Hebrew literature, while challenging them to read and write analytically. The major elements in this literature, from its origins in nineteenth-century Eastern Europe to its flowering in present-day Israel, will be examined. Addressing questions of aesthetics and literary context, the course will highlight such major themes as the tension between tradition and modernity; the rise of Zionism; the negation of the Diaspora; the pioneer experience; the Arab-Israeli conflict; responses to the Holocaust; the relationship of the individual to the collectivity; optimism and disillusionment. Readings will consist of novels, short stories and poems in English translation. Literary critical evaluations will be assigned in connection with oral presentations and term papers.