Inciting Laughter: The Development of "Jewish Humor" in 19th Century German Culture

Takes a cross-disciplinary approach to an examination of Judenwitz, a type of distinctively Jewish humor, written in German but deemed antithetical to the values of Mainstream German-language society of the 19th century. Focusing on the period from 1820 to 1850, Chase emphasizes a dual analysis of Judenwitz, both as stereotype and strategy, stressing throughout the importance of nonessentialism in the discussion of Jewish humor and 19th century German reactions to it. He discusses the humor itself and its role in identity issues, followed by detailed coverage of three Jewish humorists: Moritz Gottlieb Saphir, Ludwig Borne, and Heinrich Heine. He then assesses the role of Judenwitz in literary history, discusses the "core myth" of German literary history, and evaluates the adaptation of the myth over time. A conclusion is followed by translations of the three humorists' writings. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR