The Art of Short Stories by Women:
The literary autumn of 2021 at the Paideia Folkhögskola course on Women’s Writing focuses on the SHORT STORIES. A short story is a particular genre: a fictional parable, a sketch of an idea for a novel? Or a lesson – teaching us an empathy, compassion? Or a way of understanding the world? Or a way to put the meaning onto the world?
The women writers have always been very interested in fiction and short stories, maybe because – out of all the fictional genres – show story is the most manageable literary commitment in the short amount of time? Or maybe actually the short form is as demanding as the long one, or more: requires more precision, more polishing to shine like a small diamond?
Well, this term we read the women’s short stories: in ENGLISH of the authors who come from various countries. This course is a sort of a continuation of the previous courses, during which we were looking at the overview of Jewish women’s writing (Autumn 2020) and at the contemporary Jewish women’s fictions and some contemporary poetry (Spring 2021). Yet it is an independent course, though, you do not need to know the material from previous courses to follow this one. If you wish to have a look at the previous syllabuses and materials, please go to OUR websites:
When we read our short stories, we ask the following questions:
Syllabus Autumn 2021
Reading: The True Waiting by Elie Wiesel (reader and the google drive of the course)
From: The Oxford Book of Jewish Stories, ed. Ivan Stavans, NY: Oxford University Press, 1998.
(a tip for reading: there is a chance that we compare it with Franz Kafka, Before the Law, easily available on line: https://www.kafka-online.info/before-the-law-page2.html; have a look at the wonderful audiobook on You Tube).
In introduction I use books by:
2. From the shtetl stories: Dvora Baron, or the Beginning of Hebrew and Yiddish Jewish Women’s Writing? Story: Fradl (pp. 26-47) from: the Dvora Baron, The First Day and Other Stories, Berkeley: University of California Press, 2001.
3. The fairy tales? Story: Burning Girls by Veronica Schanoes, In: Burning Girls and Other Stories, New York: Tom Doherty Associates, 2021.
Here we revisit: The myth of Lilith and the cultural representation of Lilith, I recommend also the book by Judith Plaskow, The Coming of Lilith: Essays on Judaism, Feminism and Sexual Ethics, 1972-2003, NY: Beacon Press, 2005. Lilith (Midrash): https://www.sefaria.org/Otzar_Midrashim%2C_The_Aleph_Bet_of_ben_Sira%2C_The_Alphabet_of_ben_Sira%2C_(alternative_version).34?ven=Sefaria_Community_Translation&lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en (scroll down the page for English)
4. Emma Goldman through the fairy tale: Emma and Baba Yaga, also the question of “coming home”Story: Veronica Schanoes, Emma Goldman Takes Teas with Baba Yaga (2021)
We revisit the book by Vivian Gornick (on Emma Goldman, whoever read it) and Emma Goldman’s writing
5. Found Treasures: we read several stories from the book Found Treasures: Stories by Yiddish Women Writers, NY: Second Story Press, ed. by Frieda Forman, Ethel Raicus, Sarah Silberstein Swartz and Margie Wolfe Introduction by Irena Klepfisz. From here:
Introduction by Irena Klepfisz;
Fradel Schtok “The Veil”;
Celia Dropkin “A Dancer”;
Chava Rosenfarb “Edgia’s Revenge”;
Rachel Korn “The Road of No Return”
6. Anzia Yezierska, America and I (From: The Oxford Book of Jewish Stories, ed. Ivan Stavans, NY: Oxford University Press, 1998.)
7. Nadime Gordimer, Letter from His Father (From: The Oxford Book of Jewish Stories, ed. Ivan Stavans, NY: Oxford University Press, 1998.)
8. Grace Paley, The Little Disturbances of Man (1959) – few stories from the edition The Collected Stories, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
9. Ida Fink, The Kew Game (From: The Oxford Book of Jewish Stories, ed. Ivan Stavans, NY: Oxford University Press, 1998).
10. Allegra Goodman, The Art Biz, (From: The Oxford Book of Jewish Stories, ed. Ivan Stavans, NY: Oxford University Press, 1998).
The women writers have always been very interested in fiction and short stories, maybe because – out of all the fictional genres – show story is the most manageable literary commitment in the short amount of time? Or maybe actually the short form is as demanding as the long one, or more: requires more precision, more polishing to shine like a small diamond?
Well, this term we read the women’s short stories: in ENGLISH of the authors who come from various countries. This course is a sort of a continuation of the previous courses, during which we were looking at the overview of Jewish women’s writing (Autumn 2020) and at the contemporary Jewish women’s fictions and some contemporary poetry (Spring 2021). Yet it is an independent course, though, you do not need to know the material from previous courses to follow this one. If you wish to have a look at the previous syllabuses and materials, please go to OUR websites:
When we read our short stories, we ask the following questions:
- Jewish women writers and the genre of the short stories: what messages are transmitted by the stories?
- Judaism and short stories? Jewish tradition? Folk stories? Myths? Midrash and short stories?
- Construction of the main characters? Who is the narrator? The perspective?
- And many, many more questions!
Syllabus Autumn 2021
- Introduction: We start from what short story is? What is women’s writing? What’s Jewish tradition in the context of this course? Etc. These are the preliminary discussion. What is a short story/ or a storytelling? The Art of Storytelling: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_J5SENQK6A
Reading: The True Waiting by Elie Wiesel (reader and the google drive of the course)
From: The Oxford Book of Jewish Stories, ed. Ivan Stavans, NY: Oxford University Press, 1998.
(a tip for reading: there is a chance that we compare it with Franz Kafka, Before the Law, easily available on line: https://www.kafka-online.info/before-the-law-page2.html; have a look at the wonderful audiobook on You Tube).
In introduction I use books by:
- Judith Plaskow, Standing Again at Sinai: Judaism from Feminist Perspective, NY: Harper One, 1991.
- Antler, Joyce, Jewish Radical Feminism: Voices from the Women’s Liberation Movement, NY: NY University Press, 2018.
- Avery, Evelyn. Modern Jewish women writers in America / edited with an introduction. NY and London: Palgrave, 2007.
- Dan P. McAdams, Ruthellen Josselson, and Amia Lieblich, editors.-1st ed. Identity and story: creating self in narrative, Washington: American Psychological Association, 2006.
- And others.
2. From the shtetl stories: Dvora Baron, or the Beginning of Hebrew and Yiddish Jewish Women’s Writing? Story: Fradl (pp. 26-47) from: the Dvora Baron, The First Day and Other Stories, Berkeley: University of California Press, 2001.
3. The fairy tales? Story: Burning Girls by Veronica Schanoes, In: Burning Girls and Other Stories, New York: Tom Doherty Associates, 2021.
Here we revisit: The myth of Lilith and the cultural representation of Lilith, I recommend also the book by Judith Plaskow, The Coming of Lilith: Essays on Judaism, Feminism and Sexual Ethics, 1972-2003, NY: Beacon Press, 2005. Lilith (Midrash): https://www.sefaria.org/Otzar_Midrashim%2C_The_Aleph_Bet_of_ben_Sira%2C_The_Alphabet_of_ben_Sira%2C_(alternative_version).34?ven=Sefaria_Community_Translation&lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en (scroll down the page for English)
4. Emma Goldman through the fairy tale: Emma and Baba Yaga, also the question of “coming home”Story: Veronica Schanoes, Emma Goldman Takes Teas with Baba Yaga (2021)
We revisit the book by Vivian Gornick (on Emma Goldman, whoever read it) and Emma Goldman’s writing
- Anarchy, Feminism, Jewish History http://pzacad.pitzer.edu/Anarchist_Archives////////goldman/aando/emancipation.html
5. Found Treasures: we read several stories from the book Found Treasures: Stories by Yiddish Women Writers, NY: Second Story Press, ed. by Frieda Forman, Ethel Raicus, Sarah Silberstein Swartz and Margie Wolfe Introduction by Irena Klepfisz. From here:
Introduction by Irena Klepfisz;
Fradel Schtok “The Veil”;
Celia Dropkin “A Dancer”;
Chava Rosenfarb “Edgia’s Revenge”;
Rachel Korn “The Road of No Return”
6. Anzia Yezierska, America and I (From: The Oxford Book of Jewish Stories, ed. Ivan Stavans, NY: Oxford University Press, 1998.)
7. Nadime Gordimer, Letter from His Father (From: The Oxford Book of Jewish Stories, ed. Ivan Stavans, NY: Oxford University Press, 1998.)
8. Grace Paley, The Little Disturbances of Man (1959) – few stories from the edition The Collected Stories, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
9. Ida Fink, The Kew Game (From: The Oxford Book of Jewish Stories, ed. Ivan Stavans, NY: Oxford University Press, 1998).
10. Allegra Goodman, The Art Biz, (From: The Oxford Book of Jewish Stories, ed. Ivan Stavans, NY: Oxford University Press, 1998).