The Hebrew Literary Critic as a Europe

A Dialogue with Menachem Brinker's Hebrew LLiterature as European Literarute

Abstract

This article examines the foundation of the historiography of Modern literature and its links to secularization, Europization, and the Haskalah and Zionist nationalism through a dialogue with Menachem Brinker's latest book, Hebrew Literature as European Literature. Through a critical reading and analysis of the concepts underlying Brinker's book, the article examines the affinity created in the Hebrew literary historiography between Modern Hebrew literature and Europen literature. The article analyzes the roots of this perception in light of the different paths of Modern Hebrew literature which are absent from Brinker's discussion but that appreared at a crucial point in time, some of which dissolved and disappeared, and some of which were marginalized.