Classic Tales: Four Thousand Years of Jewish Lore

by Ellen Frankel

Overview

A retelling of 300 Jewish stories spanning 4,000 years and three continents. Drawing on biblical, talmudic, and hasidic tales, the author creates a classic -- a map resource book for the brightest jewels in the vast treasure chest of Jewish lore. Six useful indexes, chronological table of contents, glossary, and bibliography.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781568210384
Publisher:	Aronson, Jason Inc.
Publication date:	04/28/1994
Series:	4,000 Years of Jewish Lore
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	704
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 9.14(h) x 1.47(d)

About the Author

Ellen Frankel is editor-in-chief of the Jewish Publication Society as well as a free-lance writer and professional storyteller. She received a Ph.D. in comparative literature from Princeton University in 1978 and has taught writing and literature at several colleges and universities. Dr. Frankel lives in Philadelphia with her husband and two children.

Editorial Reviews

In her selection and retelling of 300 "classic" tales, Ellen Frankel has achieved some desirable diversity. Like folktales in many non-Jewish traditions, these stories blend realism with the fantastic, conjuring magical remedies for ill fortune, poverty, marriage gone awry, and the pious gone astray....The images in these tales, though rare, are splendid....The collection Frankel has ammassed, evidently with much labor and care, is impressive.

Lilith Magazine

``Superb'' is the word needed to describe this retelling of 300 Jewish stories in chronological order spanning 4000 years and three continents. Drawing from Talmudic, Midrashic, Hasidic, and folktale sources, Frankel has put together a rich anthology of Jewish tales imbued with the spiritual values of Judaism and the age-old folk wisdom of the Jewish people. Enhancing the collection are several indexes arranged by character types, symbols, topics, and names and places that enable readers to locate specific kinds of material. Also included are a helpful glossary and bibliography containing all the sources used by the author. Sure to become a modern classic, this labor of love, despite its cost, is highly recommended.-- Robert A. Silver, Shaker Heights P.L., Ohio

Library Journal

Some three hundred stories, culled from traditional sources--the Bible, Talmud, Midrash, Hasidic texts, and oral folklore--are retold in modern English. Of special note: God appears without gender, women wear their midrashic names, and many tales of Sephardic origin are included. Indexed by symbols, names and places, and topics. Includes references to stories for each holiday. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

In The Classic Tales, Ellen Frankel has created a work that will itself become a classic. These 300 stories represent the broad panorama of Jewish lore from all parts of the world, from biblical times through the hasidic masters of the nineteenth century. The book is much more than a retelling of tales, though. Frankel has combined a scholarly approach, a woman's perspective, and the ability to write clearly to produce an indispensable tool for teachers, rabbis, parents, storytellers, and others concerned with transmitting Jewish culture.

Hadassah Magazine

The Classic Tales: 4,000 Years of Jewish Lore by Ellen Frankel is an extraordinary volume spanning three continents and four millennia. The three hundred Jewish tales in this extraordinary volume begin with the creation; in fact, they go back into myth for pre-creation stories and continue down through history. These stories abound in allusions to classic Jewish texts. Biblical cadences, phrases from the prayer book, and ideas from Jewish proverbs and heroic legends resonate in the air. It is, in short, a family memory.

National Jewish Post and Opinion