New Perspectives, Old Stories: Biblical and classical myth in Modern Hebrew literature

Session Submission Type: Panel Session

Abstract

This panel explores the use of myth as a category beyond the usual boundaries of Jewish and non-Jewish cultures. Throughout the history of Modern Hebrew literature, Hebrew writers have used myths as tropes, sometimes behavioral or interpretative, sometimes as literary references and ways to connect with the ancient Hebrew/Jewish tradition (the Bible, but also the Talmud) or with non-Jewish culture. Even though the word “myth” derives from the Greek “mythos” (story, tale) and it is in Greek culture that this category has served as a major staple in the arts as well as in thought, this category has been recovered also as a pertinent category for Jewish culture. In other words, myth has mostly been interpreted as a global, “universal” mode that allows one to overcome the temporal or cultural specificity of Hebrew culture. In this panel, we explore different uses of myth (Biblical, classical, and a mix of the two) in order to identify the use of myth as a common trope and the common features. The papers included in this panel deal with themes often found in myths: metamorphosis, heroism, and war. Discussing various writers from several literary generations, diverse genres, and distinct styles, all papers showcase a deep immersion in the ways in which belonging within a group is portrayed and the tensions it raises in Modern Hebrew Literature.

Sub Unit

• Modern Hebrew Literature

Chair

• Neta Stahl, Johns Hopkins University

Individual Presentations

• Haim Gouri’s New Epic: Odysseus and the Heroes of the Bible - Giacomo Loi, University of Haifa Israel

• “In the place where a woman leaped off a roof, a bird flew”: Shimon Adaf’s NUNTIA and Ovid’s METAMORPHOSIS - Rina Jean Baroukh, Achva Academic College

• “Simeon and Levi Are Brothers”: An Old Story of Brothers and Sister in Modern and Contemporary Hebrew Poetry - Reut Ben-Yaakov, Duke University

Zoom Host

• Zoom Host 02