Re-Visions, Fictionalizations, and Postfigurations: The Myth of Judith in the Twentieth Century
Author: Ziolkowski, Theodore1
Source: The Modern Language Review, Volume 104, Number 2, 1 April 2009 , pp. 311-332(22)
Publisher: Modern Humanities Research Association
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Abstract:
This paper uses the biblical legend of Judith to explore the various forms through which myth has been adapted in modern thought and literature. Works by Hebbel, Weininger, Freud, and Sacher-Masoch, as well as contemporary feminist criticism, suggest the principal intellectual revisions that the myth has undergone. Stella Wilchek's novel Judith exemplies better than any other the modern fictionalization of the biblical theme. And Rolf Hochhuth's `dramatic novel' Judith stands above other postfigurations of the tale. From all these works, myth emerges as an action embodying eternal issues of pressing urgency.Keywords: Judith; myth; Hebbel; Weininger; Freud; Sacher-Masoch; feminist criticism; revisions; Stella Wilchek; fictionalization; Rolf Hochhuth; postfigurations
Document Type: Research article
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