PREFACE

This literary study examines three of Agnon ' s stories : "Agunot" ( from Elu ve-Elu ) "Giv ' at ha-Hol" ( from Al Kappot ha-Man ' ul ) , and "Ha-Adonit ve-ha-Rokhel" ( from Samukh ve-Nir ' eh ) . About a hundred years after the publication of "Agunot , " it turns out that this apparently romantic love story is actually a biting satire on Herzl ' s secular Zionism . The interpretation of the story uncovers Agnon ' s critical approach to secular Zionism , while incidentally clarifying the meaning of the pen name "Agnon , " as rooted in the context of this story . Similarly , the interpretation of "Givat ha-Hol" breaks fresh grounds . It brings to light the seductive figure of Yael Hayyot , along with its dark sides , as they emerge from the covert , and hitherto unexplored , Midrashic substratum of the story . Against this Midrashic background , the beautiful Yael Hayyot stands out as a destructive , mythic mixture of a muse and a demon , who stirs the passion of the poet Hemdat even as...  אל הספר
הוצאת ראובן מס בע"מ, ירושלים