3.0

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Memory is considered one of the central ways we shape individual and collective identity. But it is also a basic element of cognition. This course is about the role of words in taking us from one to the other--from memories to Memory, from to-do lists to the Book of Exodus. We will examine the relations between textual forms and forms of memory by studying the ways that words are used to record, shape, and transmit both personal memories and collective memory, including mnemonic devices, historical narratives, memoirs, novels, and poetry. We will also consider the distinctions between verbal (written and oral), visual, and auditory memory as well as the impact of various forms of computer memory and storage on the older mnemonic and memorial models that have found a home in literature. We will draw on a wide range of examples but our focus will be on the relations between literature and memory in Jewish culture and religion in the modern age. All readings in English