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Weimar Film and Modern Jewish IdentityA Man in The Street, a Jew at Home: Identity and Performance in Weimar Domestic Melodramas

Weimar Film and Modern Jewish Identity: A Man in The Street, a Jew at Home: Identity and... [The urban comedies discussed in chapter two demonstrate the ways in which Jewish filmmakers highlighted the role of emulation in modern identity formation. This recurring metaphor associated these comedies with the discourse about Jewish assimilation and, at the same time, facilitated the portrayal of the stereotypical “Jew” as a symbol of modern urban society at large. This chapter shifts the focus to a different genre that was equally popular among Jewish scriptwriters and directors, namely, the domestic melodrama. Unlike many of the Weimar urban comedies, the domestic melodramas discussed in this chapter avoided direct (or stereotypical) references to the “Jewish-milieu” as the setting of the plot. The contemplation of the role of mimicry and simulation in the constitution of modern authenticity, however, was an equally crucial element in this popular genre. Employing and enhancing the previously described symbolism, Weimar domestic melodramas underscore two further key components in the contemporary Jewish identity discourse: the spatial imagination of hybrid identity, and the concept of “the stranger” as a necessary mediator within modern urban society.] http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png

Weimar Film and Modern Jewish IdentityA Man in The Street, a Jew at Home: Identity and Performance in Weimar Domestic Melodramas

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References (15)

Publisher
Palgrave Macmillan US
Copyright
© Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Nature America Inc. 2012
ISBN
978-1-349-34419-2
Pages
43 –75
DOI
10.1057/9781137010841_3
Publisher site
See Chapter on Publisher Site

Abstract

[The urban comedies discussed in chapter two demonstrate the ways in which Jewish filmmakers highlighted the role of emulation in modern identity formation. This recurring metaphor associated these comedies with the discourse about Jewish assimilation and, at the same time, facilitated the portrayal of the stereotypical “Jew” as a symbol of modern urban society at large. This chapter shifts the focus to a different genre that was equally popular among Jewish scriptwriters and directors, namely, the domestic melodrama. Unlike many of the Weimar urban comedies, the domestic melodramas discussed in this chapter avoided direct (or stereotypical) references to the “Jewish-milieu” as the setting of the plot. The contemplation of the role of mimicry and simulation in the constitution of modern authenticity, however, was an equally crucial element in this popular genre. Employing and enhancing the previously described symbolism, Weimar domestic melodramas underscore two further key components in the contemporary Jewish identity discourse: the spatial imagination of hybrid identity, and the concept of “the stranger” as a necessary mediator within modern urban society.]

Published: Nov 6, 2015

Keywords: Public Sphere; Jewish Identity; Private Sphere; Display Window; Love Affair

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