Myth and Magic. Storytelling in Hasidism

Hasidic stories seem a modern literary form of religion, a view that is emphasized by their retelling especially by Martin Buber. However, if we take into account the remarkable self-assertive quality of Hasidic writings’ storytelling, a much more complex function of this type of narrative is revealed. The present lecture analyzes Hasidic storytelling with reference to its own categories, which in turn are deeply rooted in Kabbalistic theories of language, prayer and amulet. In this way, we may identify two functions of Hasidic storytelling. The first implies mythical functions that intend to establish contexts and traditions notably with the act of storytelling; while the second implies magical purposes that view storytelling as having a mighty and even messianic power. The lecture understands Hasidic story-telling not as aesthetic religion, rather as mythical and magical literary practice.

Andreas Kilcher is professor of Literature and Cultural Studies at the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zurich and director of the Center for the History of Knowledge. Kilcher is a prominent scholar of German-Jewish literature and culture, Kabbalah, esotericism and the literary studies of knowledge. He has written and edited a wide range of publications in these fields. Forthcoming is an essay on the poetics and politics of Heinrich Heine's wit. Kilcher’s current project includes collaboration with colleagues at Stanford on the divergent constructions of Jewish ethnography in German-speaking and Russian-speaking territories.