Return of the Gothic: Three stories by Sarah Hamer-Jacklyn

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Return of the Gothic: 

Three stories by Sarah Hamer-Jacklyn

This November, I'm once again offering one of my favorite classes: YIDDISH GOTHIC: Three Stories by Sarah Hamer-Jacklyn. This time, I'm doing something a little different. We'll be meeting in the afternoon (EST) so that we can be more welcoming to folks in the UK and Europe.

In this class we will do a close reading of three of the Yiddish short stories (in translation) of Sarah Hamer-Jacklyn. We will also use folk religion and folk magic material to unpack and illuminate these wonderfully enigmatic texts. SHJ incorporates a range of folk magic beliefs and practices into her stories, but in a way that is grounded and naturalistic. 

In "Aunt Taybele," for example, we meet a classic SHJ protagonist: an embittered, marginalized auntie who moves to town. She starts hanging out at the cemetery, possibly(?) kills the gravedigger's wife, and then marries him herself. It's a glow-up fit for a cemetery goth queen. Through these stories, we'll be learning about things like the evil eye, graveside communication with the dead, and a very unusual, but historically grounded ritual of after-death excommunication, performed when a mother has died in childbirth. 


We will meet (virtually) at 2pm (EST)/ 7pm London (UK) time on Tuesday evenings, November 11, 18, 25. Each session will be recorded and available to view afterwards. No knowledge of Yiddish is necessary, but if you can read Yiddish, the original Yiddish texts will be available. To register, simply drop me an email (cjcrokhl@gmail.com) and let me know you want to join us. Once you finish payment ($125) you will be on the roster and will get the readings and Zoom links.

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