Blood libel as spectacle: representing and reproducing “ritual murder” in the modern era

The Tiszaeszlár Affair was the first in a series of “modern” ritual murder trials at the end of the nineteenth century, and its dramatic events played out at the dawn of mass politics and mass media. As such, it left a lasting impact on the literary, political and visual language of modern antisemitism, especially in Hungary. Some viewed the dramatic narrative as a morality play, pitting “modern” science and reason against “medieval” prejudice and hatred. In the end, the falsely-accused Jews were acquitted, and justice prevailed, but the passions it aroused have never fully subsided. For decades, novelists, playwrights, screenwriters, stage directors, performance artists and filmmakers have used it as a surrogate to treat sensitive–and potentially volatile–topics in Hungarian society. This volume brings together social historians, art historians, film historians, theater historians and media scholars who have explored the visual memory of Tiszaeszlár from different angles. As such, it will make important contributions to a wide variety of fields, including Jewish studies, memory studies, trauma studies, film studies, media studies and visual studies.