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Nature of Jewish Literature Explored at Judaic Studies Spring Lecture
In the past, Dr. Horn said, what makes a book Jewish was never debatable; a Jewish book was anything written in Yiddish. Presently, however, fewer books are written in Yiddish, especially in the U.S. Dr. Horn treats English “as though English were a Jewish language,” she said. Her goal is to make her writing relevant and understandable to American audiences while still steeped in Jewish tradition.
Dr. Horn explained some of the essential differences between Jewish and modern Western attitudes toward art and personal identity. In the West, she said, the artist is an “isolated creator;” in Judaism, the artist is a participant in an ongoing conversation with both the artists who have come before and with his or her peers.
“The value [of art] is never in how original you are but how unoriginal, how well you give old texts new meaning,” said Dr. Horn.
In the West, Dr. Horn said, art can be a means to reach God; true expression can be sacred. In Judaism, however, art focuses more on the limits of human creativity. While the U.S. values the self-made person and puts emphasis on personal identity, Jewish culture deemphasizes the individual and values familial identity.
Dr. Horn’s novel, All Other Nights, features a Jewish narrator in the American South during the Civil War. Her narrator, a Northern spy, is sent by the Union to New Orleans to murder a main player in a plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln, a man who is the narrator’s own uncle. The spy is then sent after another enemy agent, but this time, instead of killing her, he must marry her.
Dr. Horn says she modeled the plot of All Other Nights after a 19th-century dime novel, complete with cliffhangers and a shootout at a wedding. She explained that authors need to care about the things readers care about when they read, such as character and plot.
“You can have a literary book with an interesting plot,” said Dr. Horn.
Dr. Horn modeled the protagonist of All Other Nights after the Biblical Jacob, a character very rare in ancient literature because of his growth throughout his story. Jacob, unlike many other ancient literary characters, demonstrates that people are capable of change. Dr. Horn’s story is also rooted in American history; several of her characters are based on real Jewish figures from the time.
Dr. Horn does not feel the setting of the Civil War-era South is an unusual one for a Jewish novel. The period reminds her of how polarized America has become in recent years. Also, both cultures are post-traumatic civilizations that feel “the past’s physical presence and the life-altering power of that presence,” a past lost because of the people’s sins. Dr. Horn’s writings are a way to preserve some of that past.
The Weinberg Judaic Studies Institute’s Spring Lecture was held in conjunction with the MELUS Conference, which was hosted by The University of Scranton that same week.
The Weinberg Judaic Studies Institute at The University of Scranton fosters an understanding and appreciation of Judaism, Israel and their histories. It supports visits to the University by Jewish scholars, writers and leaders, and supports library acquisitions, publications, faculty-research travel and other scholarly endeavors. The work of the institute was further enhanced by a $1 million gift from the Weinberg Foundation in 1990.
