Indebted: Capitalism and Religion in the Writings of S. Y. Agnon

Yonatan Sagiv

Indebted: Capitalism and Religion in the Writings of S. Y. Agnon
Format
Hardback
Publisher
University of Pittsburgh Press
Country
United States
Published
24 June 2016
Pages
216
ISBN
9780822944577

Indebted: Capitalism and Religion in the Writings of S. Y. Agnon

Yonatan Sagiv

This is the first book to examine the oeuvre of Shmuel Yosef Agnon, 1966 Nobel laureate in literature, through a reading that combines perspectives from economic theory, semiotics, psychoanalysis, narrative theory, and Jewish and religious studies. Sagiv outlines the vital role economy plays in the construction of religion, subjectivity, language, and thought in Agnon’s work, and, accordingly, explores his literary use of images of debt, money, and economy to examine how these themes illuminate other focal points in the canonical author’s work, excavating theeconomic infrastructure of discourses that are commonly considered to reside beyond the economic sphere.

Sagiv’s analysis of Agnon’s work, renowned for its paradoxical articulation of the impact of modernity on traditional Jewish society, exposes an overarching distrust regarding the sustainability of any economic structure. The concrete and symbolic economies surveyed in this project are prone to cyclical crises. Under what Sagiv terms Agnon’s law of permanent debt, the stability and profitability of economies are always temporary. Agnon’s literary economy, transgressing traditional closures, together with hisprofound irony, make it impossible to determine if these economic crises are indeed the product of the break with tradition or, alternatively, if this theodicy is but a fantasy, marking permanent debtas the inherent economic infrastructure of human existence.

This item is not currently in-stock. It can be ordered online and is expected to ship in approx 4 weeks

Our stock data is updated periodically, and availability may change throughout the day for in-demand items. Please call the relevant shop for the most current stock information. Prices are subject to change without notice.

Sign in or become a Readings Member to add this title to a wishlist.