Synopsis
How the Wise Men Got to Chelm is the first in-depth study of Chelm literature and its relationship to its literary precursors.
When God created the world, so it is said, he sent out an angel with a bag of foolish souls with instructions to distribute them equally all over the world—one fool per town. But the angel’s bag broke and all the souls spilled out onto the same spot. They built a settlement where they landed: the town is known as Chelm.
The collected tales of these fools, or “wise men,” of Chelm constitute the best-known folktale tradition of the Jews of eastern Europe. This tradition includes a sprawling repertoire of stories about the alleged intellectual limitations of the members of this old and important Jewish community. Chelm did not make its debut in the role of the foolish shtetl par excellence until late in the nineteenth century. Since then, however, the town has led a double life—as a real city in eastern Poland and as an imaginary place onto which questions of Jewish identity, community, and history have been projected.
By placing literary Chelm and its “foolish” antecedents in a broader historical context, it shows how they have functioned for over three hundred years as models of society, somewhere between utopia and dystopia. These imaginary foolish towns have enabled writers both to entertain and highlight a variety of societal problems, a function that literary Chelm continues to fulfill in Jewish literature to this day.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
Ruth von Bernuth is Associate Professor in the Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures and Director of the Carolina Center for Jewish Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Search results for How the Wise Men Got to Chelm: The Life and Times of...
Seller Image
How the Wise Men Got to Chelm: The Life and Times of a Yiddish Folk Tradition
Seller: Bay State Book Company, North Smithfield, RI, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: very_good. Seller Inventory # BSM.114YN
Stock Image
How the Wise Men Got to Chelm : The Life and Times of a Yiddish Folk Tradition
Published by
New York University Press, 2016
ISBN 10: 1479828440
ISBN 13: 9781479828449
Used
Hardcover
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good. Seller Inventory # 39856740-75
Stock Image
How the Wise Men Got to Chelm: The Life & Times of a Yiddish Folk Tradition
Seller: Powell's Bookstores Chicago, ABAA, Chicago, IL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
hardcover. Condition: Used-Very Good. Cloth, dj. Minor shelf wear; clean internals. Seller Inventory # 1974676
Stock Image
How the Wise Men Got to Chelm: The Life and Times of a Yiddish Folk Tradition
Published by
New York University Press October 2016, 2016
ISBN 10: 1479828440
ISBN 13: 9781479828449
Used
Hardcover
Seller: Magus Books Seattle, Seattle, WA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: VG-. used hardcover in a dust jacket. the jacket is somewhat worn about the edges and slightly scuffed, has only small tears at extremeties. corners slightly bumped, but pages and binding are clean, straight and tight. there are no marks to the text or other serious flaws. Seller Inventory # 1508749
Stock Image
How the Wise Men Got to Chelm The Life and Times of a Yiddish Folk Tradition
Seller: Powell's Bookstores Chicago, ABAA, Chicago, IL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: NEW. Dust Jacket Condition: NEW. Seller Inventory # 2035753
Stock Image
How the Wise Men Got to Chelm: The Life and Times of a Yiddish Folk Tradition.
Published by
New York University Press, New York, 2016
ISBN 10: 1479828440
ISBN 13: 9781479828449
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Henry Hollander, Bookseller, Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Hardbound. Condition: Very Good. First Edition. Octavo in dust jacket, xiv, 317 pp., b/w illustrations, notes, bibliography, index When God created the world, so it is said, he sent out an angel with a bag of foolish souls with instructions to distribute them equally all over the worldone fool per town. But the angel's bag broke and all the souls spilled out onto the same spot. They built a settlement where they landed: the town is known as Chelm.The collected tales of these fools, or "wise men," of Chelm constitute the best-known folktale tradition of the Jews of eastern Europe. This tradition includes a sprawling repertoire of stories about the alleged intellectual limitations of the members of this old and important Jewish community. Chelm did not make its debut in the role of the foolish shtetl par excellence until late in the nineteenth century. Since then, however, the town has led a double lifeas a real city in eastern Poland and as an imaginary place onto which questions of Jewish identity, community, and history have been projected.By placing literary Chelm and its "foolish" antecedents in a broader historical context, it shows how they have functioned for over three hundred years as models of society, somewhere between utopia and dystopia. These imaginary foolish towns have enabled writers both to entertain and highlight a variety of societal problems, a function that literary Chelm continues to fulfill in Jewish literature to this day. Seller Inventory # 101139
Stock Image
How the Wise Men Got to Chelm: The Life and Times of a Yiddish Folk Tradition
Seller: Daedalus Books, Portland, OR, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. Clean and solid. ; B&W Illustrations; 8vo; 316 pages. Seller Inventory # 337403
Stock Image
How the Wise Men Got to Chelm: The Life and Times of a Yiddish Folk Tradition
Published by
NYU Press, New York, 2016
ISBN 10: 1479828440
ISBN 13: 9781479828449
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Archer's Used and Rare Books, Kent, OH, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. 1st edition. Dust Jacket is in fine condition without tears or chips or other damage. Quantity Available: 1. Category: Judaica; Myths, Legends & Folklore. ISBN/EAN: 9781479828449. Pictures of this item not already displayed here available upon request. Inventory No: 14802. Seller Inventory # 14802
Seller Image
How the Wise Men Got to Chelm: The Life and Times of a Yiddish Folk Tradition (Hardback or Cased Book)
Published by
New York University Press 10/18/2016, 2016
ISBN 10: 1479828440
ISBN 13: 9781479828449
New
Hardcover
Seller: BargainBookStores, Grand Rapids, MI, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardback or Cased Book. Condition: New. How the Wise Men Got to Chelm: The Life and Times of a Yiddish Folk Tradition. Book. Seller Inventory # BBS-9781479828449
Seller Image
How the Wise Men Got to Chelm
Published by
New York University Press, US, 2016
ISBN 10: 1479828440
ISBN 13: 9781479828449
New
Hardcover
Seller: Rarewaves USA, OSWEGO, IL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardback. Condition: New. How the Wise Men Got to Chelm is the first in-depth study of Chelm literature and its relationship to its literary precursors. When God created the world, so it is said, he sent out an angel with a bag of foolish souls with instructions to distribute them equally all over the world-one fool per town. But the angel's bag broke and all the souls spilled out onto the same spot. They built a settlement where they landed: the town is known as Chelm. The collected tales of these fools, or "wise men," of Chelm constitute the best-known folktale tradition of the Jews of eastern Europe. This tradition includes a sprawling repertoire of stories about the alleged intellectual limitations of the members of this old and important Jewish community. Chelm did not make its debut in the role of the foolish shtetl par excellence until late in the nineteenth century. Since then, however, the town has led a double life-as a real city in eastern Poland and as an imaginary place onto which questions of Jewish identity, community, and history have been projected. By placing literary Chelm and its "foolish" antecedents in a broader historical context, it shows how they have functioned for over three hundred years as models of society, somewhere between utopia and dystopia. These imaginary foolish towns have enabled writers both to entertain and highlight a variety of societal problems, a function that literary Chelm continues to fulfill in Jewish literature to this day. Seller Inventory # LU-9781479828449