הולדת החולין מתוך הטרגדיה: שיעור הספרות כחניכה אל הבגרות

This article explores how the literature classroom, particularly through the figure of the literature teacher, initiates a paradoxical process of Bildung (coming-of-age): Students must initially question and even defy their teacher in order to later validate his knowledge and appreciate the spiritual richness he intended to impart. This dynamic is exemplified by the case of Baruch Kurzweil, a teacher, critic, and literary scholar, as depicted in essays by Natan Zach and Dalia Ravikovitch, as well as in a novel by Zvi Luz. Kurzweil’s emphasis on the tragic, evident in his teachings, literary interpretations, and possibly his personal life, initially prompted his students towards a somber and anti-tragic outlook on reality, celebrating the mundane. Ultimately, however, it is this very rebellion that ensured Kurzweil’s lasting influence and commemoration.