The Heart Is a Mirror

The Sephardic Folktale

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Jewish, Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Folklore & Mythology, History
Cover of the book The Heart Is a Mirror by Tamar Alexander-Frizer, Wayne State University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Tamar Alexander-Frizer ISBN: 9780814340059
Publisher: Wayne State University Press Publication: December 6, 2007
Imprint: Wayne State University Press Language: English
Author: Tamar Alexander-Frizer
ISBN: 9780814340059
Publisher: Wayne State University Press
Publication: December 6, 2007
Imprint: Wayne State University Press
Language: English
Since their expulsion from Spain in 1492, Sephardic Jews have managed to maintain their Jewish faith and Spanish group identity and have developed a uniquely Judeo-Spanish culture wherever they settled. Among the important cultural ties within these Sephardic groups are Judeo-Spanish folktales, stories that have been passed down from generation to generation, either in the distinct language of the group, Judeo-Spanish (Ladino), or in other languages, such as Hebrew. In The Heart Is a Mirror, Tamar Alexander-Frizer examines the folk narratives of Sephardic Jews to view them both in relation to universal narrative traditions and the traditions of Jewish culture. In part 1, Alexander-Frizer investigates the relationship between folk literature and group identity via the stories’ connection to Hebrew canonical sources, their historical connection to the land of origin, their treatment of prominent family members and historical events, and their connection to the surrounding culture in the lands of the Spanish Diaspora. Part 2 contains an analysis of several important genres and subgenres present in the folktales, including legends, ethical tales, fairy tales, novellas, and humorous tales. Finally, in part 3, Alexander-Frizer discusses the art of storytelling, introducing the theatrical and rhetorical aspects tied up in the Sephardic folktales, such as the storyteller, the audience, and the circumstances of time and place. This thorough and thought-provoking study is based on a corpus of over four thousand stories told by descendents of the Spanish Diaspora. An introduction addresses methodological problems that arise from the need to define the stories as Judeo-Spanish in character, as well as from methods used to record and anthologize them. Jewish studies scholars, as well as those interested in folktale studies, will gain much from this fascinating and readable volume.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Since their expulsion from Spain in 1492, Sephardic Jews have managed to maintain their Jewish faith and Spanish group identity and have developed a uniquely Judeo-Spanish culture wherever they settled. Among the important cultural ties within these Sephardic groups are Judeo-Spanish folktales, stories that have been passed down from generation to generation, either in the distinct language of the group, Judeo-Spanish (Ladino), or in other languages, such as Hebrew. In The Heart Is a Mirror, Tamar Alexander-Frizer examines the folk narratives of Sephardic Jews to view them both in relation to universal narrative traditions and the traditions of Jewish culture. In part 1, Alexander-Frizer investigates the relationship between folk literature and group identity via the stories’ connection to Hebrew canonical sources, their historical connection to the land of origin, their treatment of prominent family members and historical events, and their connection to the surrounding culture in the lands of the Spanish Diaspora. Part 2 contains an analysis of several important genres and subgenres present in the folktales, including legends, ethical tales, fairy tales, novellas, and humorous tales. Finally, in part 3, Alexander-Frizer discusses the art of storytelling, introducing the theatrical and rhetorical aspects tied up in the Sephardic folktales, such as the storyteller, the audience, and the circumstances of time and place. This thorough and thought-provoking study is based on a corpus of over four thousand stories told by descendents of the Spanish Diaspora. An introduction addresses methodological problems that arise from the need to define the stories as Judeo-Spanish in character, as well as from methods used to record and anthologize them. Jewish studies scholars, as well as those interested in folktale studies, will gain much from this fascinating and readable volume.

More books from Wayne State University Press

Cover of the book Monsters in the Italian Literary Imagination by Tamar Alexander-Frizer
Cover of the book Paths to Middle-Class Mobility among Second-Generation Moroccan Immigrant Women in Israel by Tamar Alexander-Frizer
Cover of the book Virgin Territory by Tamar Alexander-Frizer
Cover of the book Unwitting Zionists: The Jewish Community of Zakho in Iraqi Kurdistan by Tamar Alexander-Frizer
Cover of the book The Reuther Brothers by Tamar Alexander-Frizer
Cover of the book The Bird-while by Tamar Alexander-Frizer
Cover of the book Bearing Witness to African American Literature: Validating and Valorizing Its Authority, Authenticity, and Agency by Tamar Alexander-Frizer
Cover of the book Our Exodus: Leon Uris and the Americanization of Israel’s Founding Story by Tamar Alexander-Frizer
Cover of the book Revolution Detroit by Tamar Alexander-Frizer
Cover of the book Byron and the Jews by Tamar Alexander-Frizer
Cover of the book Disability, Deformity, and Disease in the Grimms' Fairy Tales by Tamar Alexander-Frizer
Cover of the book The Color of Law: Ernie Goodman, Detroit, and the Struggle for Labor and Civil Rights by Tamar Alexander-Frizer
Cover of the book Great Girls in Michigan History by Tamar Alexander-Frizer
Cover of the book The Blessed Abyss by Tamar Alexander-Frizer
Cover of the book The Art of Memory by Tamar Alexander-Frizer
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