July 2019

The Wisdom of Jewish Literature

The modern Jewish experience—from exile to sovereignty, from weakness to power, from tragedy to comedy, from America to Israel, from youth to adulthood—is so complex and so profound that only great literature can truly make sense of it. In this new online course, former Harvard Professor Ruth Wisse will explore some of the classic short stories of the modern Jewish canon. Each lecture will focus on a specific story, and how it illuminates some of the great themes and dilemmas of being Jewish in the modern age.

Preeminent teacher and scholar Ruth Wisse recently retired from her position as Martin Peretz Professor of Yiddish Literature and Professor of Comparative Literature at Harvard University, and is currently the Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Tikvah Fund.