A bastardized German, a woman's vernacular, a dying tongue, a radical language-this course traces the shifting labels attached to Yiddish, from its early modern beginnings to its contemporary status as a language of mourning and nostalgia, Jewish humor, Hasidic isolation, and Jewish radicalism. Through poetry, fiction, essays, and film, we explore what Yiddish can tell us about the modern world.
Prereq: Not open to students with credit for 2241, Yiddish 2241 or 3241. Cross-listed in Yiddish.