Impossible Representation: The Holocaust in Literature and Film

Representing the Holocaust has often been posed as a limit or impossibility in the\ud literary and visual arts. Despite such statements, we find numerous instances of\ud artists turning to literature, film, and other aesthetic media in order to recall,\ud confront, and grapple with the atrocities committed during the Nazi period. How do\ud we understand such “impossible” representations: their different representational\ud strategies, as well as their ethical, political, and historical status? Covering an\ud international range of literary texts and films along with examples from the visual\ud arts, this seminar will investigate works that attempt to represent the traumatic\ud experiences, historical events, and lasting consequences of the Holocaust through\ud various genres and perspectives. Students will gain familiarity with the roles of\ud trauma, memory, and gender in representations of the Holocaust, along with an\ud understanding of how literature and film can help to preserve the necessary memory\ud of both the personal and historical horrors of German fascism, anti-Semitism, and\ud the Nazi genocide