Tradition and Fantasy in the Tales of Reb Nahman of Bratslav, livre ebook

Considers the tales of Reb Nahman of Bratslav within a broad cultural milieu, including the romanticism of Reb Nahman's time, contemporary feminist hermeneutics, and the fantastic in various contexts.

Considers the tales of Reb Nahman of Bratslav within a broad cultural milieu, including the romanticism of Reb Nahman's time, contemporary feminist hermeneutics, and the fantastic in various contexts.

One of the most radically innovative of Hasidic masters, Reb Nahman of Bratslav transformed images and concepts basic to Jewish thought into new and compelling forms. Tradition and Fantasy in the Tales of Reb Nahman of Bratslav uses comparative literary criticism, a range of Hasidic commentary, and original exegesis of the source texts to bring the complex artistry of Reb Nahman's thought to light, making it accessible to a wider audience.

PrefaceIntroduction
I. The Poet's Self and the Poem
1. The Figure of the Zaddik
2. Innovation and Inspiration: Linking Past to Future
3. The Approaching Redemption
4. Autobiographical Aspects
II. Telling Tales; or, The Physics and Metaphysics of Fiction
1. The Sanctification of Fiction in Hasidic Tradition
2. Adoption of Narrative Elements from Other Genres

Folktales
Rabbinic Literature
3. The Torah as Text and Archetype
4. Multifarious "Texts" and Their Symbolic Value
III. The Romantic Drama
1. Romanticism: A General Definition
2. The Romantic Quest
3. The Indwelling Life of Nature

The Garden
Music
4. In God's Image He Created Her

Metaphors of Motherhood
The Shekhinah: From Mourning to Joy
IV. The Dimension of the Fantastic
1. A Characterization of the Fantastic World

The Mythical Worm and its Evolution
Mythopoetic Archetypes
Between Past and Future: Nostalgia and Expectation
A Definition of the Fantastic as a Literary Genre
2. Perception and Deception: Transmutations of Reality within the Tale

The Dream Paradigm
The Tale Entitled The King's Decree
The Dream of t he Circle in Hayyei Moharan
The Tale Entitled The Lost Princess and the Song of Songs
The Tale Entitled Fly and Spider
3. Blurring of Boundaries, Shifting Identities

Theological Implications: The Kushiya
4. Metamorphosis of Imagery

Symbol
Metaphor
Allegory
The Tale of Heart and Spring
5. The Effect of the Dimension of the Fantastic on the Listener/Reader
Notes
Bibliography
Index of Subjects
Index of Sources