Jewish Issues through the Vocal Lessons in Jon Marans’s Old Wicked Songs (존 마란스의 Old Wicked Songs: 성악 수업을 통해 극화된 유대적 쟁점들)

Hwang, Kyu Cheol (황규철)

Jewish Issues through the Vocal Lessons in Jon Marans’s Old Wicked Songs

Journal of Modern English Drama
Abbr : JMBARD
2016, 29(1), pp.197-218
Publisher : 한국현대영미드라마학회
Research Area : Humanities > English Language and Literature > English Literature > Contemporary English Drama

Hwang, Kyu Cheol ¹

¹중앙대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

This paper aims at probing into the Jewish issues through the vocal lessons in Jon Marans’s Old Wicked Songs. Mashkan, a Jewish Austrian professor, and Stephen, a Jewish American student, solve their own problems through the vocal lessons using Robert Schumann’s Dichterliebe as a textbook in the play. Among 16 Songs in Dichterliebe, the play focuses on Song 1, Song 7, Song 12, Song 13, and Song 16. Mashkan’s prejudiced viewpoint on Jewish musicians and Stephen’s lack of passion in music correlated with the lack of pride in their Jewish identity are dealt with during the lesson of Song 1. Mashkan’s anger at the Viennese anti-Semitism and Stephen’s anger at Mashkan’s anti-Semitic remarks are dealt with during the lesson of Song 7. Stephen’s persistent efforts to induce Mashkan to tell his Holocaust story are revealed during the lesson of Song 12. Mashkan’s Holocaust story transmitted to Stephen is revealed during the lesson of Song 13. Each protagonist’s willingness to overcome his own problem(s) is revealed during the lesson of Song 16. For these reasons, the Jewish issues regarding Mashkan are the Holocaust survivor’s Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and the Viennese anti-Semitism. And the Jewish issue concerning Stephen is the lack of pride in his Jewish identity. Therefore, Old Wicked Songs falls into the category of Holocaust drama in that it deals with the Jewish issues in the post-Holocaust era.

KEYWORDS

Jon Marans, Old Wicked Songs, Robert Schumann, Dichterliebe, Holocaust drama, anti-Semitism, Jewish identity

Citation status

* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.

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Journal of Modern English Drama 2023 KCI Impact Factor : 0.11