Synopses & Reviews
Paying homage to the many ways in which German Jews were instrumental in the birth of an incomparably rich world of popular culture, this study traces the kaleidoscope of challenges, opportunities and paradoxes Jewish men and women faced in their interactions with predominantly gentile audiences. Modern Germany was a society riddled by conflicts and contradictory impulses, continuously torn between desires to reject, control and celebrate individual and collective difference. The book demonstrates how an analysis of popular entertainment can reaveal much about a period of great social and political turmoil.
Synopsis
How German Jews were instrumental in the birth of a rich world of popular culture.
About the Author
Marline Otte is an assistant professor of history at Tulane University. She received her doctorate from the University of Toronto in 1999. She received the Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship and is an active member of the German Studies Association. She specializes in Modern European History focusing on Germany and Cultural History.
Table of Contents
Part I. 'Ponim et Circenses': Jewish Identities in Circus Entertainment, 1870-1933: 1. The circus in time and space; 2. Family bonds; 3. Schein und Sein in the circus; 4. Losing common ground; Part II. Comic Relief: Jewish Identities in Jargon Theater from 1890 to the 1920s: 5. Tongue in cheek; 6. All in the family; 7. A limited engagement; 8. The gravity of laughter; Part III. The Loneliness of the Limelight: Jewish Identities in Revue Theater, 1898-1933: 9. The metropol: between culture and Kapital; 10. Leading characters; 11. Stardom and its discontents; 12. The art of pleasing all.