The Talmudic Tradition in Contemporary British-Jewish Fiction: Silence versus Talking Cover Image

The Talmudic Tradition in Contemporary British-Jewish Fiction: Silence versus Talking
The Talmudic Tradition in Contemporary British-Jewish Fiction: Silence versus Talking

Author(s): Anita Chmielewska
Subject(s): Theoretical Linguistics, Applied Linguistics
Published by: Wydział Filologiczny Uniwersytetu w Białymstoku
Keywords: British Jews; Talmud; silence; discussion; family

Summary/Abstract: The purpose of this article is to demonstrate that contemporary British-Jewish fiction turns away from silence which is understood as a means of preventing problems in the community and that it depicts this kind of silence as harmful to family bonds. Instead, as I shall argue, recent British novels draw from the long-established tradition of Talmudic discussion and describe it as a method of solving intergenerational conflicts. Such an approach is visible in Disobedience by Naomi Alderman, The Marrying of Chani Kaufman by Eve Harris, When We Were Bad by Charlotte Mendelson, and The Innocents by Francesca Segal.

  • Issue Year: 2018
  • Issue No: 04 (23)
  • Page Range: 23-32
  • Page Count: 10
  • Language: English