The Jew, the Witch and the Wardrobe. On the Construction of Jewish Identity of the Authors Writing on „Difficult” Past  Cover Image

Żyd, czarownica i stara szafa. O konstruowaniu żydowskości autorów piszących o „trudnej” przeszłości
The Jew, the Witch and the Wardrobe. On the Construction of Jewish Identity of the Authors Writing on „Difficult” Past

Author(s): Magdalena Nowicka
Subject(s): Literary Texts
Published by: Instytut Badań Literackich Polskiej Akademii Nauk
Keywords: Jewishness; Identity; Public discourse; Edward Said

Summary/Abstract: The article analyses the construction of Jewishness of the writers and artists in the public discourse. Jewishness, understood as an outcome of communicative strategies, becomes a discursive standpoint from which the author speaks or through which his/her statements are being interpreted. The framework for the analysis is provided by Edward W. Said’s concept of the public intellectual aware of his/her otherness, in the face of the public he/she addresses. The strategies discussed gain an exceptional meaning in public debates on the so-called difficult past, i.e. discussions provoke by texts and statements which question the dominant image of the past and historical attitudes of compatriots. The analysis includes French and Polish debates over the Jewish authors and their oeuvres.

  • Issue Year: 2012
  • Issue No: 4
  • Page Range: 250-266
  • Page Count: 17
  • Language: Polish