NML455H1

Modern Hebrew Poetry

This course is designed for the advanced students of Modern Hebrew who wish to pursue the study of Hebrew literature. We will examine the way in which this literature relates to ideas of land, homeland, peoplehood, and religious identities. We will continue with Yehuda Amihai’s poetry with particular attention to his love poetry. Our major concentration will be on Ḥaim Naḥman Bialik’s poetry and include at least one of his major epic poems. We shall focus on what makes Amihai and Bialik national poets. Our method of poetic analysis will include an inter-textual examination of the sources of poetic inspiration. Students will be taught to use the Bar Ilan Responsa Project as an aid to tracking allusions. We will also use historical Hebrew dictionaries.