Patterson, David. The Shriek of Silence: A Phenomenology of the Holocaust Novel. Lexington, Ky.: U of Kentucky, 1992.
Page 4. Patterson places his work’s emphasis on speaking of the Holocaust novel as “RELIGIOUS”…
“The concern before us is existential, phenomenological, ontological, metaphysical – in short, it is fundamentally religious.” Patterson goes on to state: “Holocaust literature is born to convert silence through language into words.:
Page 2. And, through that religious lens, he hopes that we as the reader, find a way to become implicated in the story and take responsibility for ‘what can be”.
Page 15. Patterson believes that “central to the existential treatment of the Holocaust novel is “the problem of response ability – that is responsibility.” (see Buber and Levinas on responsibility (Pages 16-17.
He sees his task in writing this book, is to make “these eyes visible, to make the shriek heard.”
Page 1. Patterson wants us to become ‘part of the silent shriek’ if we are to gain the tiniest access to these ‘wounded ones.’
Page 5. Patterson sees the urgency for readers of Holocaust literature, to bear witness and ‘assess ones relation to history. – BUT what remains to be studied, he says, is the more essential matter: “the resurrection or redemption of the soul” … that arises in the dialog exchange between author and reader via character.
Page 7. BOTTOM LINE – Patterson’s focus is on “the existential encounters between life and death, word and silence, and self and the other.”…”the collision of the soul with the void”… which he views as a “deeper collision than that of “images with concepts.”
Page 22. Bakhtin’s notion of polyglossia or multiplicity of languages… is essential to the novel’s examination of language. Patterson reminds us that the ‘concentrationary universe comprised of multiplicity of languages.
Page 25. The Role of the Madman… (see also Page 112.)
Page 26. The role of Truth. Patterson sees “the Holocaust’s concern with silence is a concern with a truth that belongs to the “yet-to-be”
Page 28. Patterson states: “Those of us who were not there, can never cross over into the Kingdom of the Night, but through the event of the Holocaust novel, it crosses into us.”
Pag 29-30. Patterson makes reference to the story of Joel the Redhead’ (written by Wiesel in “A Jew Today.” To help us hear the ‘shriek of silence.’
Page 31- 32. Other references to help the reader comprehend the meaning of silence in the Holocaust novel. Quote from Josef Bor “The Terezin Requiem”.’
Page 6-12. Patterson’s critique of fellow author’s discussing Holocaust literature.
P Name Book Title What they focus on What they don’t do
6 Irving Halperin 1970 Memories of the Dead
6 Leon Yudkin 1974
7-8 Lawrence Langer 1975
7 Edward Alexander 1979
7 Josephine Knopp 1979
7-8 Arnost Lustig
8 Sidra de Koven 1980
8-9 Alven Rosenfeld 1980
9 Alan Yutler 1983
9 Alan Mintz 1984
10 David Rosen 1984
10-11 Charlotte Wardi 1986
11 James Young 1988
