In her preface editor Spector mentions her two previous collections of essays pertaining to the intersection of Romanticism and Judaica. When the first was published in 2002, the subject was
viewed as an interesting ancillary; when the second was published in 2005, "...scholars began wondering how such an obvious topic...had been overlooked for so long." Spector, who is an
independent scholar, feels that this third collection is the best yet, that the subject is becoming incorporated into mainstream scholarship, and that the essays reflect increased vigor and
confidence about the rich connections. The volume was initiated at a 2007 meeting of the International Conference on Romanticism. Twelve contributions are grouped under the following broad
themes: nationalism and diasporeanism, religion and anti-Semitism, individualism and assimilationism, and criticism and reflection. Annotation 穢2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
