The evolution of Yiddish literature, as seen in the book No Star Too Beautiful, is much.
It is a slow, almost imperceptible, process. The stories.
begin as simple recapitulations of material from the Torah, and evolve into very.
descriptive stories which reflect real life experiences of the authors. Several themes.
remain throughout the evolutionary process, the most prevalent being the belief in, and.
an unwavering trust in, God. Another aspect of the stories that remains throughout the.
evolutionary process is that most stories contain, in one form or another, a lesson or.
moral. Some lessons are easily identified within the story, while others are, as in.
fables, posted at the end of the story as the Moral. As we move on towards the.
enlightenment period, the lessons are less obvious, but no less important.
As I examine the evolution of this literature, I have decided to use the period.
divisions contained in the book. In part one (1382 to the Mid Eighteenth Century), we.
see several forms of stories. Some are simple recounts of Torah material, some are.
similar to fairy tales, and toward the end of this period, we begin to see the appearance.
of mysticism. The earliest stories tend to be short, simple, and to the point. This may.
be due, in part, to their oral beginnings. The sentences are short and the author.
concentrates less on descriptive adjectives and more on the story. I envision these.
earliest stories as teaching tools. Parents may have used them to teach their children.
how and, more importantly, why to behave. Religious leaders may have used them to.
instruct a congregation. .
The stories begin simply and mainly teach the importance of being pious and.
trusting in God. The first story "Virtuous Joseph," is written in a poetic style and.
recounts how Potiphar's wife tried to seduce Joseph when he was a slave for her.
husband. In the Bible, as in this story, Joseph remains true to his God and does not.
