A Thousand Darknesses

Lies and Truth in Holocaust Fiction

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Jewish, Nonfiction, History, Holocaust, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science
Cover of the book A Thousand Darknesses by Ruth Franklin, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Ruth Franklin ISBN: 9780199779772
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: November 19, 2010
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Ruth Franklin
ISBN: 9780199779772
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: November 19, 2010
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

What is the difference between writing a novel about the Holocaust and fabricating a memoir? Do narratives about the Holocaust have a special obligation to be 'truthful'--that is, faithful to the facts of history? Or is it okay to lie in such works? In her provocative study A Thousand Darknesses, Ruth Franklin investigates these questions as they arise in the most significant works of Holocaust fiction, from Tadeusz Borowski's Auschwitz stories to Jonathan Safran Foer's postmodernist family history. Franklin argues that the memory-obsessed culture of the last few decades has led us to mistakenly focus on testimony as the only valid form of Holocaust writing. As even the most canonical texts have come under scrutiny for their fidelity to the facts, we have lost sight of the essential role that imagination plays in the creation of any literary work, including the memoir. Taking a fresh look at memoirs by Elie Wiesel and Primo Levi, and examining novels by writers such as Piotr Rawicz, Jerzy Kosinski, W.G. Sebald, and Wolfgang Koeppen, Franklin makes a persuasive case for literature as an equally vital vehicle for understanding the Holocaust (and for memoir as an equally ambiguous form). The result is a study of immense depth and range that offers a lucid view of an often cloudy field.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

What is the difference between writing a novel about the Holocaust and fabricating a memoir? Do narratives about the Holocaust have a special obligation to be 'truthful'--that is, faithful to the facts of history? Or is it okay to lie in such works? In her provocative study A Thousand Darknesses, Ruth Franklin investigates these questions as they arise in the most significant works of Holocaust fiction, from Tadeusz Borowski's Auschwitz stories to Jonathan Safran Foer's postmodernist family history. Franklin argues that the memory-obsessed culture of the last few decades has led us to mistakenly focus on testimony as the only valid form of Holocaust writing. As even the most canonical texts have come under scrutiny for their fidelity to the facts, we have lost sight of the essential role that imagination plays in the creation of any literary work, including the memoir. Taking a fresh look at memoirs by Elie Wiesel and Primo Levi, and examining novels by writers such as Piotr Rawicz, Jerzy Kosinski, W.G. Sebald, and Wolfgang Koeppen, Franklin makes a persuasive case for literature as an equally vital vehicle for understanding the Holocaust (and for memoir as an equally ambiguous form). The result is a study of immense depth and range that offers a lucid view of an often cloudy field.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book The Philosophical Parent by Ruth Franklin
Cover of the book Five Miles Away, A World Apart by Ruth Franklin
Cover of the book Coercive Control by Ruth Franklin
Cover of the book Homies and Hermanos by Ruth Franklin
Cover of the book Young Catholic America by Ruth Franklin
Cover of the book The Owner's Manual to the Voice by Ruth Franklin
Cover of the book Paris and the Cliché of History by Ruth Franklin
Cover of the book Religion, Language, and the Human Mind by Ruth Franklin
Cover of the book Bizet by Ruth Franklin
Cover of the book Cost-Effectiveness in Health and Medicine by Ruth Franklin
Cover of the book The Legal Language of Scottish Burghs by Ruth Franklin
Cover of the book Revenge of the Forbidden City by Ruth Franklin
Cover of the book From Conditioning to Conscious Recollection by Ruth Franklin
Cover of the book Aphasia and Its Therapy by Ruth Franklin
Cover of the book English Aristocratic Women, 1450-1550 by Ruth Franklin
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy