Representation of the Holocaust in Morris Gleitzman's novels: Once, Then and After : magistrsko delo

Karo, Ema (author), Matajc, Vanesa (mentor), Blake, Jason Frederick (mentor)

The master's thesis deals with the representation of the Holocaust in children's literature, specifically in the novels of the Australian writer Morris Gleitzman - Once, After and Then. The English part first provides a historical background of the Holocaust and then gives an overview of Holocaust literature, starting with war reportages and ending with the popularization of the subject matter and the rise of fictional literary works about the Holocaust. This is followed by discussing the specific demands that are expected from a Holocaust writer and addressing the critical responses to the problem of writing about the Holocaust. The next section of the thesis focuses on the specificities of children's literature about the Holocaust and lists the narratological techniques used by writers in navigating between the need to follow the historical credibility of the text and the reception capacities of the young reader. The last section of the first part of the thesis is dedicated to the state of children's literature about the Holocaust in Slovenia and addresses the varying age-appropriateness of Gleitzman's novels in Slovenia and in Australia. The Slovenian part of the master's thesis analyses the representation of the Holocaust in the novels Once, After and Then - it links the fictional narratives with the historical reality and highlights the importance of memory, time and stories in Gleitzman's novels. On the basis of the analysis, it can be concluded that in his representation of the Holocaust Morris Gleitzman skilfully addresses the specificities of writing about the Holocaust and the reception capacities of his young readers; moreover, these works offer their readers a multifaceted, complex insight into the period and are thus an exemplary representation of the Holocaust in children's literature. In other words, Morris Gleitzman's writing superbly combines the needs of its reader with the specific needs placed by the topic of the Holocaust.

• Language: English
• Work type: Master's thesis/paper
• Typology: 2.09 - Master's Thesis
• Organization: FF - Faculty of Arts
• Place of publishing: Ljubljana
• Publisher: [E. Karo]
• Year: 2018
• Number of pages: 98 str.
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-100346
• UDC: 821.111(94).09-93Gleitzman M.:341.485(=411.16)
• COBISS.SI-ID: 66468450
• Publication date in RUL: 22.03.2018

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Tematizacija holokavsta v romanih Morrisa Gleitzmana: Nekoč, Potem in Tedaj

Abstract

Magistrsko delo obravnava tematizacijo holokavsta v mladinski književnosti, specifično v romanih avstralskega pisatelja Morrisa Gleitzmana Nekoč, Potem in Tedaj. Angleški del se najprej posveti orisovanju zgodovinskega ozadja holokavsta, v nadaljevanju pa ponuja pregled literature o holokavstu. To obravnava z vidika razvoja iz medvojnega reportažnega pisanja v popularizacijo tematike in posledičnega vzpona literarnih del o holokavstu. Temu sledita izpostavljanje specifičnih zahtev, ki jih tematika holokavsta narekuje pisatelju in obravnava kritiških odzivov na problematiko pisanja o holokavstu. Delo se potem posveča posebnostim mladinske književnosti o holokavstu in našteva naratološke postopke, ki jih pisatelji uporabljajo za uspešno krmarjenje med zgodovinsko verodostojnostjo besedila in recepcijskimi zmogljivostmi mladega bralca. V zadnjem poglavju teoretičnega dela se magistrsko delo posveti še stanju prevodne mladinske književnosti o holokavstu v Sloveniji ter obravnava različne priporočene starosti Gleitzmanovega bralca v Sloveniji in Avstraliji. Slovenski del magistrskega dela obravnava tematizacijo kronotopa holokavsta v obravnavanih delih, povezuje literarna dela z zgodovinsko resničnostjo ter izpostavlja vlogo spomina, časa in zgodb v Gleitzmanovih romanih. Na podlagi analize lahko sklepamo, da v svojem tematiziranju holokavsta Morris Gleitzman spretno krmari med specifikami pisanja o holokavstu in recepcijskimi zmogljivostmi mladega bralca ter da njegova dela bralcu ponujajo večplasten, kompleksen prikaz dobe in s tem predstavljajo vzoren primer tematizacije holokavsta v mladinski književnosti. Z drugimi besedami - Gleitzmanovo pisanje odlično združuje potrebe svojega bralca in zahteve tematike.

• Keywords: avstralska književnost, mladinska literatura, mladinski roman, holokavst, magistrska dela