What’s So Jewish about Jewish Folktales?
Ellen Frankel
Description
For centuries, Jews have told stories to one another, many of them adapted from the folktale traditions of their neighbors. And the reverse is also true: As they traveled and traded, Jewish storytellers transmitted Persian, Indian, and Arabian folktales throughout Europe. What was gained and lost in this process of translation? How do Jewish stories differ from their counterparts in other nations’ lore? In this course, we will read Jewish folktales from various Jewish communities, compare them with tales familiar to many of us from childhood, and explore what makes them different—and universal.
Ellen Frankel is a storyteller and author of The Classic Tales: Four Thousand Years of Jewish Lore. She is CEO and Editor-in-Chief of The Jewish Publication Society. For 18 years, she has directed the JPS project, Folktales of the Jews, a six-volume collection of Jewish folktales culled from the Israel Folktale Archives.
Notes
Categories
- Arts and Literature
- History and Culture
- Morning Course