Finding the man in the golem: Perfection through the word in Gustav Meyrink’s “The Golem”

Type :

Presentation

Pages :

5 pages

Format :

.doc

Published date :

11/06/2008

Category :

Philosophy & literature

Sub category :

Literature

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Summary :

Introduction.
1. The Golem according to legend.
The narrators waking up as the Pernath.
1. The Ibbur.
2. Pernath's own personality - parallel to that of the Golem.
3. Meyrink's use of 'verbal language' early in The Golem.
4. Pernath's spiritual refinment.
Conclusion.

Abstract

the golem, according to legend, is a man-made creature, constructed out of wax, inanimate until a written Cabalistic scripture is placed in its mouth. Without the written word, the physical form of the golem remains a mix of primal elements; without the clay to inspire, the written prayer remains a written prayer-equally powerless. gustav meyrink's golem also depends on this mix of the natural and the supernatural. the novel follows an unnamed narrator, who wakes up one morning as the gemcutter Pernath. Pernath in turn becomes, through a series of supernatural events, the legendary golem, a monster said to haunt the Prague ghetto every thirty-three years. . If the golem is simply a body without soul, and if in turn Pernath is that golem, in order to become whole, the golem must find a way to unite both the soul and the body. For meyrink, the act of writing is in itself supernatural-as Pernath follows meyrink's story, he becomes a more mystical creature.