Monatshefte

The complexity of the concept of literary anti-Semitism is encapsulated in the breadth of this volume. Twenty-three chapters investigate texts (including literature, film, and theater) from interdisciplinary and intermedial perspectives. Important for the editors is that a definition of literary anti-Semitism arises from the texts under discussion rather than being imposed upon them, although several contributions refer to the [End Page 638] now canonical texts by Ruth Klüger and Martin Gubser as their definitional point of departure, and the volume as a whole effectively provides a compendium of recurrent literary anti-Semitic traits. The focus on a post-1945 context in the title belies the scope of the contributions. Shakespeare's Shylock and Martin Luther's infamous essay of 1543 provide an anchor for many of the reflections on texts written with the knowledge of Auschwitz. This historical range reinforces Wolfgang Benz's comments in the final chapter of the book where he questions the existence of a 'new' anti Semitism, an approach echoed in many of the contributions but particularly those by Ruth Klüger and Anat Feinberg. The usefulness of terms such as 'latent antisemitism' and 'secondary antisemitism' in the post-war context is however attested to by many of the contributors.

The strengths of this volume lie firstly in the painstaking investigations of the texts under discussion. The close readings lead by example and show that it is only in the specificity of the individual text that judgements about its anti-Semitic content can be made. Such close readings confront many canonised names and their canonised texts, including Thomas Mann, Luise Rinser, Hans Werner Richter, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Paul de Man, Franz Grillparzer, Wilhelm von Polenz, among others. Several chapters conclude that the texts under discussion are not in fact anti-Semitic but are often no less problematic for it. Particularly convincing are Gilad Margalit's chapter on Günther Grass and Matthias N. Lorenz's investigation of three texts by Bernhard Schlink. The latter's discussion of the relationship of philo-Semitism to constructions of political correctness and taboo is fascinating, and somewhat salutary, given the prominence of Schlink's writing within the school curriculum. Educational imperatives for prescribing or prohibiting certain texts are a recurrent theme within the volume, as are the wider questions about the extent to which art can change people's perceptions (or even hope to stay in their minds for longer than it takes to read or watch it) (273).

An attention to close reading is not however at the expense of situating the texts firmly within their historical and cultural contexts. Indeed, the shifting nature of specific texts within the context of more general understandings, definitions, and tolerances of what is considered anti-Semitic is reiterated. Different theoretical approaches, based on the writings of Bourdieu, Foucault, and Adorno, prove to be repeatedly effective in conceptualising the place of literary anti-Semitism within broader social contexts. Klaus Holz's valuable discussion on national identity and 'normalisation' provides a timely reminder of the tendency towards 'Täter-Opfer-Umkehr,' a dangerous trope repeatedly referred to throughout the volume. That readers continue to interpret the same text quite differently within the same context is persuasively demonstrated by Mark H. Gelber in his examination of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ.

A further strength of the volume is that it provides a concise (if, at just under four hundred pages, not very compact) reference to key motifs of anti-Semitism. This includes, for example, Werner Bergmann's detailed and differentiated discussion of the linguistic circumlocutions of the 'Schuldabwehrmechanismen,' which begins with an examination of the complex and changing use of the term of 'Kollektivschuld' in the immediate post-war period. The volume's content, if rather eclectic, raises questions about such defensive mechanisms within discourses of shame, guilt, and responsibility, and in oral, written, and performed texts. [End Page 639]

Many of the chapters raise the issue of the role of the author in the construction and reception of anti-Semitic texts. Insisting on the relevance of Roland Barthes's theorization of authorial intention, the contributions nevertheless emphasise the independence of the texts themselves once they enter the public domain. The continuing significance of the positionality of the author is stressed by Robert Schindel in the last chapter. Schindel also emphasises the responsibility of the author for her / his work and the importance of recognizing that such texts often have an 'außerliterarische Funktion' (189), something which becomes particularly clear in the various chapters referring to speeches by Martin Walser and Martin Hohmann. The productive possibility for Jewish authors to confront the anti-Semitic 'memory machine' with a 'counter-memory' (255) is examined by Norbert Otto Eke.

The wealth of information in this volume makes it an ideal handbook for those beginning the study of literary anti-Semitism or for those revisiting areas which are more familiar. An index would have helped the reader cross-reference the many varied theoretical approaches and literary texts. This thought-provoking collection points to further work to be done on the relationships of anti-Semitism to antigypsyism and anti Islamicism. That these issues are pressing within contemporary debates about freedom of speech, the presence of neo-Nazism, and the possibilities of humour and parody to deal with such topics need hardly be stated.