In this dissertation titled “Literature before the Catastrophe: The Armenian Question and the Jewish Question in the Works of Raffi (Hakob Melik Hakobian), Theodor Herzl, Arthur Schnitzler, Zabel Yesayan, and Franz Werfel,” I analyze five fin-de-siècle Ottoman Armenian and Habsburg Jewish writers, investigating their commonalities and differences regarding their reflections on the Armenian and Jewish Questions before 1915 and 1938, respectively. It starts by justifying the significance of a comparative approach to the literatures of Ottoman Armenians and Habsburg Jews before the Armenocide and the Shoah, an important research area yet to be explored. Unlike previous studies that focus on historical comparisons, this dissertation delves into the primary sources by Armenian and Jewish writers in its search for their reactions to the Armenian and Jewish Questions. Chapter 1 examines the nationalist perspectives in the works of Raffi (Hakob Melik Hakobian) and Theodor Herzl through their nonfictional texts Tajkahayk and The Jewish State and fictional works The Fool and The New Ghetto, and reveals how both writers articulate their oppressed communities’ worsening conditions, highlight the obstacles to their real liberation, and call for immediate action for self-determination. Chapter 2 provides a close reading of Arthur Schnitzler’s novel The Road into the Open, contrasting it with Herzl’s nationalist ideas. Schnitzler’s panoramic portrayal of Jewish characters and his complication of Jewish Question, assimilation, and Zionism challenges Herzl’s misleadingly straightforward Zionist vision. Opposing Herzl’s firm conviction in the futility of future prospects for Jews in Europe, Schnitzler advocates the unifying power of the arts in transcending ethnic, racial, and religious divisions. Chapter 3 analyzes Zabel Yesayan’s works In the Ruins and “Enough,” emphasizing her advocacy for peaceful coexistence, anti-war discourse, and justice for all. Yesayan’s writings highlight the importance of hope and communication among diverse communities within the Ottoman Empire. Chapter 4 examines Franz Werfel’s 1933 novel The Forty Days of Musa Dagh, exploring the metaphorical connections between the Armenian and Jewish experiences. Werfel’s work, written during the rise of Hitler in the early 1930s, serves as an intentional link between the Armenian Genocide and the increasingly hostile conditions of European Jews in 1933.