Reading the Spaces. Narrative Perception of Eretz Israel

This research paper examines the geographical reality of the Land of Israel, recognized as the cradle of the Jewish people long before the establishment of the modern State of Israel in 1948. Employing an integrated methodological framework—including geocritical, narratological, topographical, and philological analyses of primary texts and critical editions—the study investigates the perception and representation of Eretz Israel’s spaces prior to its formal political foundation.
The paper begins by addressing the geographical and cultural dimensions of biblical Israel, con-textualized through an examination of early travel literature, such as the Itinerarium Burdiga-lense, and other significant texts from later historical periods. A critical analysis of literary por-trayals follows, focusing on selected works by Mark Twain (The Innocents Abroad), Herman Melville (Clarel), and George Eliot (Daniel Deronda), which reflect Western conceptions of the land during pivotal moments in its history.
Furthermore, the study considers Matilde Serao’s travelogue, In the Country of Jesus, written during a transformative era when the land associated with the Jewish figure of Jesus was beginning its journey toward becoming the Jewish State. The interplay between geographical reality and literary imagination is central to understanding these evolving narratives.
Finally, the paper incorporates testimonies from women of the First Aliyah, offering firsthand accounts of the socio-cultural and spatial transformation of the land. These testimonies serve as a lens to explore how individual and collective experiences shaped the perception of Eretz Israel as both a historical and symbolic space. Through its interdisciplinary approach, this research paper provides a nuanced understanding of the geographical and literary constructions of Eretz Israel, illuminating its multifaceted identity before its modern political establishment.

本篇研究论文审视了以色列国土的地理现实，该地区被公认为犹太民族的摇篮，远在1948年现代以色列国建立之前。研究采用综合方法论框架，包括对原始文本和批判性版本的地缘批判、叙事学、地形学和语文学分析，探究了在正式政治奠基之前，对以色列地（Eretz Israel）空间的认知与表征。论文首先从圣经以色列的地理和文化维度入手，通过考察早期旅行文学，如《布迪加伦游记》（Itinerarium Burdigalense）以及其他历史时期的显著文本，进行语境化分析。随后，对文学描绘进行批判性分析，聚焦于马克·吐温（《在异国他乡》）、赫尔曼·梅尔维尔（《克拉雷尔》）和乔治·艾略特（《丹尼尔·德龙达》）等人的精选作品，这些作品反映了其在历史关键时期的西方对该土地的看法。此外，研究还考虑了马蒂尔德·塞拉奥（Matilde Serao）的旅行记《耶稣之国》，该记叙发生在与犹太人物耶稣相关的土地开始向犹太国家转变的转型时期。地理现实与文学想象之间的相互作用是理解这些演变叙事的关键。最后，论文融入了第一代移民妇女的证词，提供了对土地的社会文化空间转型的第一手资料。这些证词作为一扇窗户，用以探索个人和集体经历如何塑造了对以色列地作为历史和象征空间的认知。通过其跨学科的方法论，这篇研究论文为以色列地的地理与文学建构提供了细致入微的理解，揭示了其在现代政治建立之前的多元身份。