Questions tagged [franz-kafka]
Questions about the works of Franz Kafka (1883-1924) or his life as a writer. His most famous works include 'Die Verwandlung' ('The Metamorphosis') and 'Der Process' ('The Trial'). Questions about his works should be tagged with [german-language].
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Who is Mrs Muggeridge in this essay on Kafka?
In a 1987 essay, Kafka at Las Vegas, English playwright Alan Bennett writes about Franz K from various everyday perspectives, both historical and contemporary. It's a way of sidling up to the Czech ...
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Meaning of chain of guards in religious interpretation in Kafka's parable of the law
Well, he does discover something: namely that this door was meant for him and him alone. What does the ‘law’ and this special exclusive ‘door’ represent? As so often with Kafka’s writing, a religious ...
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Alienation of the self in Hamlet [closed]
I have been reading Harold's Bloom's literary themes on Alienation. He begins with the puzzling statement "The supreme literary portrait of alienation is Hamlet". Now, what did he mean by ...
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Difference between "emperor" and "living emperor" in Kafka's "The Great Wall of China"
This is a quote from "The Great Wall of China" by Franz Kafka. What's the difference between "emperor" and "living emperor"?
Our land is so huge, that no fairy tale can ...
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Explain a quote from "The Great Wall of China" by Franz Kafka
Can anyone explain the following quote from the short story "The Great Wall of China" by Franz Kafka:
First, one must realize that at that time certain achievements were brought to fruition ...
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Is “I no longer know If I wish to drown myself in love, vodka or the sea.” a real Franz Kafka quote?
It is attributed to him on various famous quote sites but strikes me as spurious.
the only source attribution is to Letters to Milena but I haven't read it in years and don't have a copy.
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What arguments have scholars used to characterise Kafka's The Metamorphosis as magical realism?
In comments below the question What style are Kafka's novels?, Peter Shor said,
Kafka has been characterized as "magical realism". On the other hand, there are lots of people who disagree ...
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Secondary literature on "The Warden of the Tomb"
The Warden of the Tomb is an expressionist play fragment by Kafka. Although incomplete, possibly extremely so, it's still decently long - about fourteen pages. Sadly (to me at least), as far as I can ...
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What is the inner meaning of "A Common Confusion"?
"A Common Confusion" is a very short story by Franz Kafka, only three paragraphs long with an English translation available in full online:
A common experience, resulting in a common ...
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Where is Kafka's "The Trial" set?
The novel The Trial by Franz Kafka contains many deliberate omissions of information: for example, the main character's surname and the names of several other characters, the nature of his crime, and ...
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Why didn't Josef K. simply ignore the summons?
Given that Josef K. didn't know exactly who was even summoning him or on what basis they were doing so, why did he cooperate? What would've happened if he had simply refused to go along with the whole ...
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Why is Josef K.'s last name never revealed?
Throughout the novel, the main character's name is given only as "Josef K." In fact, as I recall, several characters even actually refer to him as Josef K. Why isn't he given a last name? Is this ...
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To what extent was Catch-22 inspired by "The Trial"?
Bureaucratic logic is one of the primary themes in Catch-22. To what extent is this inspired by The Trial by Franz Kafka? Both have the sense of being caught in the cogs of a remote, irrational, and ...
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Why does Die Verwandlung have autobiographical aspects?
Why does Die Verwandlung have autobiographical aspects?
What similarities are there between the life of Gregor Samsa and the life of Franz Kafka?
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