... engaging reading of the Enlightenment ... as a study of representations of Jewish identities, Robertson's work offers a well-versed survey and provides a comprehensive view of the topic that leaves only the field of postwar German-Jewish literature untouched.
The Jewish Quarterly Review
Introduces non-Germans to well and lesser-known German literary figures from 1749 to 1939 and to the answers they had to the so-called 'Jewish Question'.
Religion and the Arts
A work of outstanding thoroughness and scholarship.
The Year's Work in Modern Language Studies
Eminently readable and accessible, this study is destined to become the standard survey of the topic.
Modern Language Quarterly
Robertson aims to give a broad synthesis of nearly two centuries of literary history, and it is difficult to imagine a book that does it better.
Modern Language Quarterly
He [Robertson] recognizes that hostility to Jews had many sources ... This flexibility enables Robertson to provide a sensitive analysis of German writers about Jews.
James J. Sheehan, Times Literary Supplement
This is an excellent introduction to the literary treatment of Jews and the Jewish question, accessible enough for beginners, interesting and challenging enough for experts.
James J. Sheehan, Times Literary Supplement
Robertson is a careful and astute reader, sensitive to the nuances of language and style, alert to historical connections, and able to make useful comparisons across a wide range of European literature.
James J. Sheehan, Times Literary Supplement
Robertson's is a magisterial work. He has read everything and summarised it well.
Anthony Julius, The Times