Primo Levi and the language of witness.

From: Criticism | Date: March 22, 1993| Author: Tager, Michael | Copyright information

Primo Levi's struggle to describe in words what he witnessed at Auschwitz reflects the inherent limitations and ideologies of language. Physical violence in the concentration camp overshadowed language. The scope of this violence, the impossibility of describing it in mere words, and the political manipulation of words the Nazis employed left Levi disgusted with rhetoric. He sought instead a clear, concise writing style that could be understood by every reader, without political overtones. Hi...

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