Date of Award
Spring 2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA) in English
Department
English
Committee Chair
Dr. Raina Kostova
Abstract
The following is a study of the poetry of Paul Celan as a representation of psychological and social processes present in the written works of Shoah survivors. It begins with an analysis of the place of writing in Jewish culture, then identifies three primary processes which operate in sequence: alienation, individuation, and integration. By examining Paul Celan’s highly personal and autobiographical texts in the context of his life experience as a Shoah survivor it is possible to discern the social and psychological forces at work which compel survivors to express their traumas in written form, and to gain a better understanding of the work of survivor-writers in the greater landscape of Jewish writing.
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