Jewish Humor and Commercial Entertainment in Twentieth-Century America and Central Europe Spring 2019 Mary Gluck Jewish Studies Program Central European University General Introduction: Jewish humor is universally celebrated for its wit and creativity. It is just as frequently criticized for its negative stereotypes of Jews. The seminar attempts to explain this contradiction by focusing on the complex historical function of Jewish humor in early twentieth-century America and Central Europe. It argues that Jewish humor in the modern period was both transgressive and integrative, challenging existing taboos and institutions, but also envisioning new social possibilities and cultural identities. These dual impulses found expression in a variety of forms, ranging from joke books, musical recordings, satirical magazines, jargon theaters, all the way to institutions of mass entertainment such as Vaudeville, music hall, Broadway and Hollywood. The course will explore these different manifestations of Jewish humor and ask how they created a new form of minority discourse that fostered inclusion even while emphasizing difference. The seminar will conclude with a look at contemporary iterations of Jewish humor in the work of Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David, Sarah Silverman, Sacha Baron Cohen and others. Requirements: Students are expected to come to class prepared to discuss the assigned readings. In addition, all students are required to make a presentation on a reading recommended for one of the weekly topics. Finally, students are asked to write a research paper of roughly 4,000 words on a topic of their choice, which is due at the end of the semester. The final paper should be linked to the themes discussed during the term. Grade assignments: Class participation: 25% Presentation: 15% 2 Research Paper: 60% Learning Outcomes: In the course of the seminar, students will be exposed to different examples of Jewish humor in the form of jokes, anecdotes, Vaudeville skits, book musicals and films. They will learn to read these as cultural texts reflecting the social experience of assimilation in urban centers such as New York, Budapest, Vienna and Berlin. The ultimate goal of the seminar is to teach students to think historically about Jewish humor and to develop a comparative perspective on the social integration of Jews and implicitly other minorities, in American and Central European societies. Assigned Books: William Novak and Moishe Waldock, The Big Book of Jewish Humor Jeremy Dauber, Jewish Comedy: A Serious History Christie Davis, The Mirth of Nations Adam Biro, Two Jews on a Train: Stories from the Old Country and the New Hugo Bettauer, The City Without Jews: A Novel of Our Time Ted Mervin, In Their Own Image: New York Jews in Jazz Age Popular Culture Stuart Hecht, Transposing Broadway: Jews, Assimilation, and the American Musical Mary Gluck, The Invisible Jewish Budapest: Metropolitan Culture at the Fin de Siecle Marline Otte, Jewish Identities in German Popular Culture, 1890-1933 Neal Gabler, An Empire of their Own Films and Video Clips: Mike Nichols and Elaine May, “Mother and Son” (1960) YouTube Woody Allen, “Oedipus Wrecks” (1989) YouTube Sophie Tucker, “Some of These Days” (1927) YouTube Sophie Tucker, “My Yiddische Momme” (1928) YouTube “Cohen on the Telephone” (1912) YouTube “Levi & Cohen, the Irish Comedians” (1903) YouTube Alan Crosland “The Jazz Singer” (1927) Michael Kantor, “Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy” (2013) Clarence Brown, “The Human Comedy” (1943) Hans Karl Breslauer, “Die Stadt ohne Juden” (1924) 3 Week I: January Introduction: What is Jewish Humor? “I Need a Jew” Video Clip from Family Guy (2013) Jeremy Dauber, Introduction, Jewish Comedy: A Serious History William Novak and Moshe Waldoks, Introduction, The Big Book of Jewish Humor Week II: January 14 The Self-Deprecatory Joke: Scottish and Jewish Humor Required: Christie Davis, The Mirth of Nations 17-75 Novak and Waldoks, The Big Book of Jewish Humor, (Excerpts) Recommended: Martin Grotjahn, Beyond Laughter Week III: January 21 Jewish Jokes and Women Required: Riv-Ellen Prell, Fighting to Become Americans: Jews, Gender and the Anxiety of Assimilation 1-20, 142-208 Christie Davis, The Mirth of Nations 77-107 The Great Book of Jewish Humor, pp. 268-275 Mike Nichols and Elaine May, “Mother and Son” YouTube Woody Allen, “Oedipus Wrecks” YouTube Gilda Radner, “Jewish Jeans” You Tube Recommended: Philip Roth, Portnoy’s Complaint Joyce Antler, ed. Talking Back: Images of Jewish Women in American Popular Culture Week IV: January 28. Jewish Humor as Political Satire Required: Hugo Bettauer, The City Without Jews Hannah Arendt, “The Jew as Pariah: A Hidden Tradition” in The Jewish Writings 275-297 Hans Karl Breslauer, “Die Stadt ohne Juden” Recommended: 4 Mel Brooks, “The Producers” Kristen Fermaglich, “Mel Brooks’ The Producers: Tracing American Jewish Culture Through Comedy, 1967-2007” in American Studies, Vol. 48, No. 4, Winter 2007 Jeremy Dauber, Jewish Comedy 50-100. Week V: February 4 Jewish Humor and the Absurd Required: Adam Biro, Two Jews on a Train Introduction, 1-21, 50-57 Jeremy Dauber, Jewish Comedy, 173-200 William Novak and Moishe Waldocks, The Big Book of Jewish Humor 214, 220, 224, 225 Week VI: February 11 Jewish Popular Entertainment in New York Required: Ted Merwin, In Their Image, 17-60 Al Jolsen, The Jazz Singer (1927) “Cohen on the Telephone” (1912) “Levi & Cohen, the Irish Comedians” (1903) Recommended: Michael Rogin, Blackface, White Noise: Jewish Immigrants in the Hollywood Melting Pot Week VII: February 18 The Jargon Theater in Berlin Required: Marline Otte, Jewish Identities in German Popular Entertainment, 1890-1933 125-197 Sarah Wobick-Segev, Introduction, Homes Away from Home, Jewish Belonging in Twentieth-Century Paris, Berlin, and St. Petersburg Week VIII: February 25 The Jewish Humor Magazine in Budapest Required: Mary Gluck, The Invisible Jewish Budapest: Metropolitan Culture at the Fin de Siècle 104-138 5 Week IX: March 4 The Broadway Musical Required: Stuart Hecht, Transposing Broadway, 1-59 Michael Kantor, “Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy” Week X: March 11 Jews in Hollywood: The Creation of the American Dream Required: Neal Gabler, An Empire of Their Own 1-7, 11-183 Clarence Brown, “The Human Comedy” Week XI: March 18 Virtual Jewishness Required: Jeremy Dauber, Jewish Comedy 241-279 Holly A. Pearse, “The Larry David Opus” Jewish Quarterly (Autumn 2008), No. 211 Jarrod Tanny, “Decoding Seinfeld’s Jewishness” in A Club of Their Own: Jewish Humorists and the Contemporary World in Studies in Contemporary Jewry (2016), ed. Eli Lederhendler Week XII: March 25. Contemporary Jewish Humorists Student presentations .