Encyclopedia of Jewish History and Culture Online

Get access

Jargon Theatre
(2,249 words)

Jargon theatre developed during the 19th century in the urban centers of Europe and flourished around the turn of the 20th century. Performed in a Yiddish-tinged mixed language, it provided popular entertainment on the basis of a specific humor that addressed social conflicts in the light of progressing modernization of the lebenswelt (world of lived experience). A paradigmatic example of jargon theatre was the theatre of the Herrnfeld brothers in Berlin.

1. Origin

The designation “jargon theatre” i…

Cite this page
Marx, Peter W., “Jargon Theatre”, in: Encyclopedia of Jewish History and Culture Online, Original German Language Edition: Enzyklopädie Jüdischer Geschichte und Kultur. Im Auftrag der Sächsischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Leipzig herausgegeben von Dan Diner. © J.B. Metzler, Stuttgart/Springer-Verlag GmbH Deutschland 2011–2017. Consulted online on 27 September 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2468-8894_ejhc_COM_0342>
First published online: 2017
First print edition: 20200106



▲   Back to top   ▲