The Midrashic Impulse and the Contemporary Literary Response to Trauma

By aligning traditional Midrash with contemporary modes of interpretation by Levinas, Agamben, and others, Monica Osborne has significantly enlivened the dialogue between Jewish thought and post-Holocaust, North American fiction. The Midrashic Impulse is alert at every turn to the gaps, silences, and wounds that mark a text, and opens to view many previously unnoticed cross-cultural connections between scriptural and secular literatures. -- Eric J. Sundquist, Johns Hopkins University
Monica Osborne has drawn upon an ancient Jewish mode of thought to present a profound and deeply insightful analysis of American Jewish literature and the contemporary literary response to trauma. Her study exemplifies an understanding of how and why the literary response to historical trauma opens up insights that can be accessed only through literature—but with a difference, the difference of the uniquely Jewish mode of midrashic thought. This is a must read for students and scholars of Holocaust literature. -- David Patterson, University of Texas at Dallas
Beautifully written, Monica Osborne’s book demonstrates the power of literature, not necessarily to heal, but to connect us to trauma, without doing further violence to those it encompasses. Osborne’s adept analyses of the literary texts invite the reader into the instructive world of midrash, rendering these ancient conversations accessible to teachers and students both in and beyond Jewish studies. -- Claire Elise Katz