Joseph and His Brothers
by Thomas Mann · Joseph und seine Brüder
Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 1933-1943
- Form
- Novel
- Language
- German
- Length
- Epic · 1500 ppover 700 pages
- Difficulty
- Difficult4 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendJoseph and His Brothers, translated by John E. WoodsEveryman's Library, 2005Woods's translation of all four novels in one volume, replacing the older Lowe-Porter version.
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A tetralogy of novels retelling the last fourteen chapters of Genesis at enormous length. The Tales of Jacob recounts Jacob's theft of the blessing, his years with Laban and the rape of Dinah. Young Joseph shows the favourite son's vanity and his brothers' sale of him into slavery. Joseph in Egypt follows him into Potiphar's house and the temptation by Potiphar's wife, whom Mann names Mut-em-enet. Joseph the Provider covers the prison, the dreams of Pharaoh Akhenaten, Joseph's rise and his reunion with his brothers. Mann wrote it in Germany, Switzerland and California over sixteen years.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns Joseph and His Brothers are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
