Zuzana Buráková | Univerzita Pavla Jozefa Šafárika (original) (raw)
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Università degli Studi di Milano - State University of Milan (Italy)
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Gender readings of selected short stories by Isaac Bashevis Singer. Discussions of marginality as... more Gender readings of selected short stories by Isaac Bashevis Singer. Discussions of marginality as one of the major themes in Jewish American literature have focused mainly on the marginality of collective Jewish identities. The underlying question of where Jews stand within the framework of the American mainstream has been dealt with in the works of the majority of Jewish American authors for the past four generations of what is now called Jewish American literature. But what is the place of marginalized Jews such as queers, transgender or 'other' within communities which are themselves already marginalized? One would expect to find these issues examined in the most contemporary Jewish American literature represented by writers who focus on the complexity of gender identities such as David Leavitt, Irena Klepfizz, Tony Kushner, Judith Katz or Lev Raphael. However discourse on gender identities is not only the focus of contemporary Jewish American literature; on the contrary, it can also be found in some of the most traditional Yiddish stories, particularly those by I.B.Singer. In discussing gender in both the Yiddish context and in the context of Talmudic gender categories, we can confirm the assertion that questions about gender have always been a part of Talmudic discourse and cannot be considered as a postmodern phenomenon. Our focus is on the representation of a gendered body present in two short stories, " Two " and " Androgynous " (selection based on Hoffman, 2009 1). Firstly, we focus briefly on the work of I.B.Singer and his Yiddish background, examining the connection between Jewishness and queerness outlined by several theorists. Following this analysis, we argue that the selected short stories treat issues of the gendered body as a 'surface performance' functioning as a precursor to what Butler calls performative nature and the fluidity of gender. Our purpose is also to demonstrate that Singer's work includes a wide range of depictions of queerness even before the emergence of the term and that the short stories discussed in the study are to a certain extent fictionalized versions of Butler´s gender theories. The concept of disguise which is present in cross-dressing, androgyny and variety of gender identities marks a shift from surface masking to inner identity and consequently to humanity.
Ostrava Journal of English Philology, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2013, pp. 139-142
Revue Svetovej Literatúry, Vol. 3, 2011
Ostrava Journal of English Philology, Vol.3., No.2. 2011
The following paper focuses on the analysis of traumatized characters in Jonathan Safran Foer's n... more The following paper focuses on the analysis of traumatized characters in Jonathan Safran Foer's novel Everything Is Illuminated (2002) by means of trauma theory. The analysis of traumatized characters in this novel has confirmed the assertion that identity can be divided or damaged by traumatic experiences. Furthermore, the disruption of identity caused by either surviving, witnessing or even perpetrating traumatic events can be transmitted onto other generations. The role of postmemory has proved to be an extremely important tool in reinforcing repressed identity. The articulation of trauma through writing has shown the role which literature plays as a healing factor in trauma resolution.
Gender readings of selected short stories by Isaac Bashevis Singer. Discussions of marginality as... more Gender readings of selected short stories by Isaac Bashevis Singer. Discussions of marginality as one of the major themes in Jewish American literature have focused mainly on the marginality of collective Jewish identities. The underlying question of where Jews stand within the framework of the American mainstream has been dealt with in the works of the majority of Jewish American authors for the past four generations of what is now called Jewish American literature. But what is the place of marginalized Jews such as queers, transgender or 'other' within communities which are themselves already marginalized? One would expect to find these issues examined in the most contemporary Jewish American literature represented by writers who focus on the complexity of gender identities such as David Leavitt, Irena Klepfizz, Tony Kushner, Judith Katz or Lev Raphael. However discourse on gender identities is not only the focus of contemporary Jewish American literature; on the contrary, it can also be found in some of the most traditional Yiddish stories, particularly those by I.B.Singer. In discussing gender in both the Yiddish context and in the context of Talmudic gender categories, we can confirm the assertion that questions about gender have always been a part of Talmudic discourse and cannot be considered as a postmodern phenomenon. Our focus is on the representation of a gendered body present in two short stories, " Two " and " Androgynous " (selection based on Hoffman, 2009 1). Firstly, we focus briefly on the work of I.B.Singer and his Yiddish background, examining the connection between Jewishness and queerness outlined by several theorists. Following this analysis, we argue that the selected short stories treat issues of the gendered body as a 'surface performance' functioning as a precursor to what Butler calls performative nature and the fluidity of gender. Our purpose is also to demonstrate that Singer's work includes a wide range of depictions of queerness even before the emergence of the term and that the short stories discussed in the study are to a certain extent fictionalized versions of Butler´s gender theories. The concept of disguise which is present in cross-dressing, androgyny and variety of gender identities marks a shift from surface masking to inner identity and consequently to humanity.
Ostrava Journal of English Philology, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2013, pp. 139-142
Revue Svetovej Literatúry, Vol. 3, 2011
Ostrava Journal of English Philology, Vol.3., No.2. 2011
The following paper focuses on the analysis of traumatized characters in Jonathan Safran Foer's n... more The following paper focuses on the analysis of traumatized characters in Jonathan Safran Foer's novel Everything Is Illuminated (2002) by means of trauma theory. The analysis of traumatized characters in this novel has confirmed the assertion that identity can be divided or damaged by traumatic experiences. Furthermore, the disruption of identity caused by either surviving, witnessing or even perpetrating traumatic events can be transmitted onto other generations. The role of postmemory has proved to be an extremely important tool in reinforcing repressed identity. The articulation of trauma through writing has shown the role which literature plays as a healing factor in trauma resolution.