The purpose of this work will be attained if it throws some light on the mental attitude of a people whose literature is less known to the world than that of the Gypsy, the Malay, or the North American Indian. CAMBRIDGE, MASS., December, 1898. CONTENTS PAGE PREFACE vii I. INTRODUCTION 1 II. THE JUDEO-GERMAN LANGUAGE 12 III. FOLKLORE 25 IV. THE FOLKSONG 53 V. PRINTED POPULAR POETRY 72 VI. OTHER ASPECTS OF POETRY BEFORE THE EIGHTIES 95 VII. POETRY SINCE THE EIGHTIES IN RUSSIA 105 VIII. POETRY SINCE THE EIGHTIES IN AMERICA 118 IX. PROSE WRITERS FROM 1817-1863 131 X. PROSE WRITERS FROM 1863-1881: ABRAMOWITSCH 148 XI. PROSE WRITERS FROM 1863-1881: LINETZKI, DICK 161 XII. PROSE WRITERS SINCE 1881: SPEKTOR 177 XIII. PROSE WRITERS SINCE 1881: RABINOWITSCH, PEREZ 194 XIV. PROSE WRITERS SINCE 1881: IN AMERICA 216 XV. THE JEWISCH THEATRE 231 XVI. OTHER ASPECTS OF LITERATURE 244 CHRESTOMATHY PAGE I. SSEEFER KOHELES. ECCLESIASTES. M. M. Lefin 258 II. DIE MALPE. THE MONKEY. S. Ettinger 260 III. DAIGES NĀCH DEM TŌDT. WORRY AFTER DEATH. S. Ettinger 260 IV. DER ELENDER SUCHT DIE RUHE. THE FORLORN MAN LOOKING FOR REST. B. W. Ehrenkranz-Zbarżer 261 V. DIWREE CHOCHMO. WORDS OF WISDOM. E. Z. Zweifel 264 VI. DIE STIEFMUTTER. THE STEPMOTHER. M. Gordon 264 VII. DIE MUME SOSJE. AUNT SOSIE. A. Goldfaden 268 VIII. SEMER LE-SSIMCHAS TŌRE. SONG OF THE REJOICING OF THE LAW. J. L. Gordon 272 IX. DIE KLATSCHE. THE DOBBIN. S. J. Abramowitsch 276 X. TUNEJADEWKE. PARASITEVILLE. S. J. Abramowitsch 284 XI. A HARTER BISSEN. A TOUGH MORSEL. D. Frischmann 294 XII. STEMPENJU'S FIEDELE. STEMPENJU'S VIOLIN. S. Rabinowitsch 300 XIII. DER TALMUD. THE TALMUD. S. Frug 306 XIV. DĀS JÜDISCHE KIND. THE JEWISH CHILD. S. Frug 308 XV. DER ADELIGER KĀTER. THE NOBLE TOM-CAT. M. Winchevsky 312 XVI. JONKIPER. THE ATONEMENT DAY. J. Dienesohn 314