God damn this shit was sad. Seems pretty open to interpretation. Tell me what, if anything, you think Kafka was trying to say with this.
Was his transformation a metaphor for anything?
>>7868596
The bug guy represents someone who's too stupid to do their own homework
>>7868614
he's a bug guy
I think it's fairly evidently supposed to be along the lines of the alienation, dehumanization and crippled self-worth/image of the modern working man.
>>7868625
Caused by what though? Or is that the point?
>>7868631
caused by turning into a bug
>>7868625
I interpreted it more as someone gone insane who inhabits his own world while everyone else inhabits theirs, the way a family gets alienated from society and from their own son and all the ways that the insane person feels de-humanized and no longer in control.
>>7868618
for you
>>7868662
Could very well be that too. It could simply be a nondescript weak/repulsive entity, and the manner in which it is treated, which would fit both our interpretations.
>>7868631
Caused by the material and spiritual/intellectual systems of the day, I guess. Maybe the individual's psychology as well, as >>7868662
suggests.
Also I want to add that the mental image of Gregor as the giant bug, clinging to the wall or ceiling behind closed doors, while the family are in the next room, aware of him, is for some reason unbelievably horrific to me.
>>7868596
he becomes a neet
>>7868680
Is an understand of the history key to fully appreciating the story or are the parallels to modern society what make the novella so seminal?
For me the ending part with the apple stuck in his back and the dust collecting on him nearly brought me to tears
>>7868705
Essential not seminal.
>not interpretatio ad verbum
>>7868596
>open to interpretation
>surrealism
fuck off faggot
>>7868742
>not absurdism
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uaaF83eVig
>>7868758
>implying surrealism cant be mixed with absurdism
yeah hello pseud
>>7868792
>implying neither are worthy of discussion
>>7868680
Ya I think I'll re-reading it with your interpretation in mind as well as mine to see how that changes the story as it unfolds.
Has anyone read The Trial? I read it first and there was something about it that I liked about it but ultimately after I finished it I found it very underwhelming. The supposed symbolism of the Catholic Church and its parallels with the disjointed justice system just seemed weak to me.
I'm going to read it again as I seem to have a minority opinion and apparently can't grasp Kafka's genius lol. Also did he even write the ending? I find it hard to say I've read Kafka if I've read a translation of unfinished manuscripts. Although other people seem to have no qualms about this.
>>7868804
>not worthy of discussion
>board about discussion about literatura
>thread about a vanguardist book
spoted the pseud again
>>7868596
I always saw the book as a suggestion of how quickly those closest to you can turn on you when you're in need.
If you're a communist you think it's about the proletariat struggle, if you're a capitalist you think it's about what communism does to you, if you're natsoc you think it's about jewish influence, if you're depressed you think it's about depression, if you're a NEET you think it's about NEETdom
And do your own homework.
>>7868823
The best thing about The Trial was womething that I only noticed the second time I read it, and it was the fact that no one really even cares if Josef K is guilty or not.
A nice little nod at the legal system and how it works (it doesn't).
>>7868920
I like this, gets down to the fundamentals of human nature
>>7868920
This interpretation especially works when you acknowledge how much the family relies on Gregor but when Gregor is unable to work anymore (because cockroach), his family resent him.
>>7868995
I also like how the story shows how easily the family could move out to a smaller flat, but don't, it's almost as if the family enjoy having a common thing to resent
>>7868596
I think it's about the struggle of an artist. While he's providing for everyone with his "work" everyone loves him and as soon as he's unable to provide the work the other people are so reliant on they drop him like he's just some piece of trash. The sister only cares about him because she hopes that he'll recover from his situation but eventually she also gives up. I think that Kafka views the artist consumist relationship as something sacred, as something that goes beyond the art itself, an emotional connection. The whole story deals with the pervesion of this artist-consumer (=family) relationship.
>>7869016
I know kafka was never taken by the idea of being famous, but do you think that maybe this angst came from somewhere personal for him?
>>7869018
But it's not exactly the same thing as being famous. There's a differnce between craving for this sort of relationship and craving for fame.
>>7869050
I meant maybe more recognition for his works creating some kind of reaction in the audience while he was alive
>>7868596
the transformation was a metaphormosis for the way the germans mistreated the beatles
>>7869131
WHOAAHOOO000
people also seem to forget the unity the rest of the family develops as george (?) spends more time as a bug. as he fades away, the family become close and mutually respectful, which they weren't before. was his death necessary for the development of the family?
>>7869160
That was the saddest part of the story for me, the fact his slow fade away unified the people he loved
Considering that I'm the resident Kafka scholar, I'll drop some knowledge on you guys. I don't do this often but you guys appear a little lost.
On the picture of the woman in furs: If you'll remember, the moment Gregor's mother enters the room to clean his things, Gregor despairs at the notion of losing his wall-hanging picture of a woman wearing furs. Thus, he scuttles over it and presses his body against it in a show of defiance. This woman wearing furs is a direct reference to Venus in Furs, written by Sacher-Masoch. This book is an exploration of masochism. Gregor, then, in pressing his body to the image of the woman, desires to *become* the woman and fulfil his masochistic tendencies. Gregor *wants* to be denied by his family. Gregor's exposure to this mother, then, is a literalization of this tendency, for he is attempting to become the woman in furs. This helps explain why Gregor puts himself in positions that humiliate himself and his family.
On the translation of Gregor's name: 'Monstrous Vermin' (and the controversial translation that typically surrounds it) is written in German as, I believe, 'Ungeheures Ungeziefer'. Notice the double 'un' prefix here. Both of these words, in German, cannot stand on their own. They are *not* self-sufficient. Furthermore, Gregor is a typical servants name. Gregor, then, is not necessarily the guy supporting the family, though he likes to think so. Rather, his transformation is a literalization of his dependency on his family.
Quick side note-- Kafka often literalizes metaphor. You see it in most of his short stories, The Judgment being a perfect examples. Thus, his transformation into a completely dependent vermin is just a massive literalization of metaphor.
It is absolutely necessary to consider Freud when reading Kafka. Kafka studied philosophy at university and attended various salons that dealt with physics (as evidenced in the Castle), Hegel (as evidenced in his Description of a Struggle) and FREUD (as evidenced by the Metamorphosis).
1/3
The entirety of The Metamorphosis is bizarrely incestuous. If you read enough Kafka, you'll begin to find this trend throughout his works. The incestuous relationship begins with Gregor and his sister. She wails upon discovering something is wrong, she serves him devotedly, and she takes absolute *possession* of him. She allows nobody else to come near Gregor and actually chastises the mother for even suggesting the notion. However, once Gregor humiliates himself and becomes more of a burden to the family, the relationship completely changes into a pseudo-oedipal situation where Greta, the sister, wants to kill Gregor, exclude or surmount the mother, and enter into an incestuous relationship with the father. If you've read the story, this change in her attitude becomes clear. She no longer defends Gregor, she no longer brings him food. When the family is deciding what to do with Gregor, Greta and the Father discuss the situation while the mother lays on the couch, motionless and speechless, with "legs closed" (hinting at her current sexual inaccessibility to the father. Interestingly enough, when Gregor is later banished from the room by his sister, she also dominates the father:
>His mother lay in her chair, her legs stiffly outstretched and pressed together, her eyes almost closing for sheer weariness; his father and his sister were sitting beside each other, his sister's arm around the old man's neck"
This paints a rather haunting portrait, where the sister has risen to the top of the family and gained sexual possession of the father. The mother merely lies nearby, exhausted.
2/3
On sacrifice and original sin: Why the apple? Notice how what kills Gregor is a clear reference to Eve's original sin of eating the apple. Gregor is, thus, a *sacrifice*. He is not necessarily a christ-like figure, and I would hesitate to deem him as such, but it's a possible interpretation. He is, however, completely used up by the family. He undergoes torment and torture until, eventually, the apple rots in his back and he is "covered with soft dust" (another biblical reference, obviously). Gregor is being sacrificed for the sins of his family. He is, then, giving them a fresh start. What evidence is there for this? The family is completely resotred after Gregor's death. The father gets a new job, the mother begins sewing again, the sister is advancing physically and mentally and, importantly, hitting puberty.
>Leaning comfortably back back in their seats they canvassed their prospects for the future, and it appeared on closer inspection that these were not all bad, for the jobs they had got, which so far they had never really discussed with each other, were all three admirable and likely to lead to better things later on"
Perhaps the most disturbing thing about the entire tale is the final sentences. While Gregor has been consumed, sacrificed, and literally swept under the rug, the family begins to need a new sacrifice. I'll leave you guys with this final passage, which concludes the Metamorphosis:
>While they were thus conversing, it struck both Mr. and Mrs. Samsa, almost at the same moment, as they became aware of their daughter's increasing vivacity, that in spite of all the sorrow of recent times, which had made her cheeks pale, she had bloomed into a pretty girl with a god figure. They grew quieter and half unconsciously exchanged glances of complete agreement, having come to the conclusion that it would soon be time to find a good husband for her. And it was like a confirmation of their new dreams and excellent intentions that at the end of their journey their daughter sprang to her feet and stretched her young body.
3/3
>>7868823
>Has anyone read The Trial? I read it first and there was something about it that I liked about it but ultimately after I finished it I found it very underwhelming
resident Kafka scholar here. The Trial is great and I can drop some knowledge on that later if the thread is still up. Gotta write now though.
>>7868823
>Also did he even write the ending?
He didn't fully complete any of his novels but The Trial has an ending.
>>7869322
>>7869332
>with "legs closed"
that's a really neat catch. Really interesting perspective.
The situation seems more electra-complex than oedipal, which is more of a Neo-Freud psychoanalytical theory, but interesting nonetheless
I don't exactly understand how you made the jump to Venus in furs, from women in furs though. it seems like all they have in common is the name's sake.
>The situation seems more electra-complex than oedipal, which is more of a Neo-Freud psychoanalytical theory, but interesting nonetheless
Absolutely, I forgot the term, hence my less-than-helpful 'pseudo-oedipal'
>I don't exactly understand how you made the jump to Venus in furs, from women in furs though. it seems like all they have in common is the name's sake.
Well, it's actually not my jump. I gathered this insight from Walter Benjamin in an essay I read a few years back. I have a hard copy of it at home, but I'm not there at the moment. I'm trying to find it online. But, essentially, Venus in Furs was in massive circulation at the time and Kafka is assuredly to have read it, considering his insatiable appetite for then-current intellectualism. Delueze, in Coldness and Cruelty, I believe also touches on this. Here's an essay that somewhat expands on what I briefly touched on:
http://u-sophia.com/News-Noteworthy/Kafka-and-Sacher-Masoch
If I can find the essay tomorrow, I'll upload it.
>>7869337
> "covered with soft dust" (another biblical reference, obviously)
What is the reference?
By the way Ungeziefer is exclusively used standing on its own nowadays but its meaning used to be "an animal that's not suited for sacrifice".
Interesting points, but a little far-fetched if you consider it the main point or author's intent rather than some subtleties that add depth to it.
>>7869769
If you're interested in scholarship, you can really just delve right into theory. It's a bit of a rabbit hunt at first but once you have adequate footing, it's easier than you might think. Access to a public university library is also immensely helpful. Big names in Kafka criticism (that I've read):
Walter Sokel, Walter Benjamin, Jacques Derrida, Max Brod (not necessarily reliable, but a fun read considering his close relationship with Kakfa), Adorno, Deleuze and Guattari, and Margot Norris.
>>7869802
>What is the reference?
In tandem with the apple, I read this as an allusion to Genesis, namely
>And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul
Just the notion that, in the consumption and *decay* of the apple into his back leads to his reversion back into the earth. As if he never existed. He was covered up by the dust he was created from. I think this can be evidenced by Gregor's father's utterance in reference to Gregor's death on the last page
>Let bygones be bygones. And you might have some consideration for me
Gregor fulfilled his function as the sacrifice and thus is returned from the earth from whence he came.
By the way Ungeziefer is exclusively used standing on its own nowadays but its meaning used to be "an animal that's not suited for sacrifice"
Interesting. I must have been mislead here. I have a few friends who assured me that the word is not typically utilized on its own (or didn't used to be) but perhaps I was mistaken in what they were telling me.
>>7869839
Sorry I put that completely wrong. Both words are commonly only used with "Un". "Geziefer" has lost its original meaning and is only used as a short form for "Ungeziefer". "geheuer" is also only used as "not geheuer" or "ungeheuer".
Thanks for the genesis explanation.
>>7869859
I'm... an idiot. You're completely right. I totally misworded my earlier post.
Tell me if this sounds better: Geziefer and Geheuer are both words dependent upon their prefixes to convey meaning? This is what I meant to convey but got my thoughts a little scrambled.
The masochism of the artist then.
>>7869353
>>7869428
I'm The Trial guy from earlier and I would love to hear more if your willing to share, your insight on The Metamorphosis is great.
Also I know there is an ending to The Trial I was just under the impression that it was written by someone else for some strange reason.
>>7869937
Yeah, I would love to. Talking about it helps me remember. I'm working on some stuff tonight but if I finish early, I'll give it a go. If not, I'll post tomorrow. Glad you found it interesting.
>>7869937
Max Brod edited the manuscript, creating the order of the chapters we're now familiar w/, including placing "before the law" at the end
>>7869811
Thanks!
>>7869937
Not that guy, but during Upper Secondary I wrote an essay about Kafka as a German Jew in Prague. Maybe some of the excerpts will be of interest for you.
On the eroticism (mainly referring to the act where Josef K. and Fräulein Bürstner engage in kissing one another), in which the maids - or women - have the mysterious function of providing contact between the hero and that higher instance, which the hero's whole existence is depending upon.
>It is mainly women who are personifying the foreigner's way of life, which is repugnant, but who also are attractive at the same time. (...) Since the Middle Ages, Prague girls and women are in a sense eulogies of foreigners in a far wider extent than other localities' Slavic girls. (...) The German Jews in Prague were almost always introduced to the erotic experiences in life by Czech maids, often in the parental homes, suggested as a shade of their need of erotic symbiosis, finding a deep, inner sense of security in the Czech people. The names of the women Kafka chose so that they would sound domestic both in Czech and in German, for example, Lenin, Pepi and Frieda.
The significance of the names of the characters and the class perspective between some of them should also not just be taken for granted, considering:
>The mistress' names in The Trial and The Castle are reminiscenses of K.:s erotic escapades in Prague's bottom layer. The characters were not only of socially subordinate position, but also became subject to the men as an equipment / means of achieving metaphysical goals. (...) Kafka's distinctiveness when giving names has often been an overlooked fact, namely, that he is giving Italian names to characters who are especially mysterious, figures who are strangely luminous, such as the painter Titorelli in The Trial or the officials Sortini and Sordini in The Castle.
>His distance to the lower classes of workers in Prague, as an individual at the community border, an existence on the side of ordinary life, or completely outside life, without specifying, a illegitimate existence, is also a recurrent theme in The Trial.
Broadly and historically speaking, Kafkas entire body of work is an "acting-through" of the collapse of ideal hierarchical certainties before the deluge of scientific-industrial modernity, as it breaks apart valuation to the very root of individual identity and offers no replacement in its stead. The lingering specters of formerly foundational structures - God, family, love, law, art - glide vacantly through his books as impossible atavisms, able now to act only as a faint light cast on the world of perpetual violence which is all that remains. The individual is dispersed in the same movement of God, and an acute, probing sensitivity now has no end to justify the present means, nor a bound at which observation may complete itself; Kafka, probing deeply, discovers an approach to a limit instead of the divine unity of the point, and his profound eye, in limning reality, discovers the unreality it builds its Castle on.
>>7871294
Same movement *as* God. Sorry for pompous sounding comment also, reading back.. It's really late, I'm still pretty high, and I really like Kafka. Still stand by the essence of what I said though.
>>7869891
Yeah, that sounds right. Although I think the first version is correct, I just misread it.
>>7869748
I don't really buy the desire to become the woman, but the connection to Venus in Furs is almost undeniable with the protagonist Severin having adopted the name "Gregor" after he becomes Wanda's slave.
>>7871372
> Severin having adopted the name "Gregor" after he becomes Wanda's slave.
Ahh ok
I hadn't actually read Venus in furs so I hadn't realized. Thanks for the insights.
In both The Trial and The Metamorphosis, the main character is consumed by their own faults. The otherworldly situations they are placed in serve only to draw out the flaws already festering in them.
Gregor forces his family to rely on him; forces them into subservient, passive roles. His sister is an unimpressive musician who he pushes into music against her interest. Only after he is gone on the family free to own themselves, to determine their own destinies.
Joseph K. is domineering, narcissistic, and incapable of admitting any personal falling. He assaults women. He is fiercely political in his work, always vying for more power, status, and money. He lacks respect for family and authority.
Neither is a tragedy because both "heroes" get exactly what they deserve.
>>7869322
>>7869332
>>7869337
Interesting and creative, but not necessarily valid or convincing interpretations. Thanks though! Never saw it that way.
>On the translation of Gregor's name: 'Monstrous Vermin' (and the controversial translation that typically surrounds it) is written in German as, I believe, 'Ungeheures Ungeziefer'. Notice the double 'un' prefix here. Both of these words, in German, cannot stand on their own. They are *not* self-sufficient. Furthermore, Gregor is a typical servants name. Gregor, then, is not necessarily the guy supporting the family, though he likes to think so. Rather, his transformation is a literalization of his dependency on his family.
This conclusion does not at all follow from the points raised before though. Seems to me that the arguments are very few in order to make this claim, and the transformation might as well be a complete change in his relation to his family, instead of a "literalization of his [previous] dependency on his family." And if you didn't mean previous dependency, it is very clear that Gregor no longer supports his family after the transformation. The evidences listed are then only interesting things that support this idea even further.
>>7871343
I feel you
>>7871294
So, would you compare this to Nietzsche's ideas of God's death and the "last men"?
>>7870168
Pretty cool insight, I wonder if I re-read The Trial I'll get more out of it. It's been almost a year...
>>7868659
kek
>>7870046
Alright, I'll give it a go and try and make my insight a little more coherent this time
There are innumerable readings of the Trial. There are three popular readings that I'll briefly touch on before talking about stuff that interests me a little bit more.
1. Political
The political reading of the Trial is fairly obvious and not really worth mentioning, for it can be easily discerned from merely reading it. The Trial can be interpreted as a blatant condemnation of bureaucracy, specifically the obfuscation of the law from its citizens. Kafka, does, however, take it a step further. He basically asserts that NOBODY knows about the Law, not even the court. For instance, K.'s lawyer tells K. that there is an old tradition of ringing the bell at some point in the trial. Actual nuances of this ritual, however, have been lost with time. K.'s lawyer notes that he and another lawyer have a mere "difference of opinion as to when the bell should be rung. Already, at a very basic level, the law is referenced not as an objective thing, but a subjective thing, open to interpretation from those within the court. Why? Because the actual theory or meaning behind the rituals or commands has been lost in translation over time. As Titorelli, the painter, is informing K. about actual acquittal, K. asks if anyone has been ever actually been granted actual acquittal. Titorelli says the following:
>The final verdicts of the court are not published, and not even the judges have access to them; thus only legend remains about ancient court cases. These tell of actual acquittals...but they can't be proved true. Nevertheless they shouldn't be entirely ignored; they surely contain a certain degree of truth, and they are very beautiful; I myself have painted a few pictures based on such legends.
In this legal system, *nothing* is written down. It is all mere legend. The actual foundations of the original law cannot be known, for one only has 'legend' to go by. Thus, the members of the court are nearly as clueless as K.! This is a legal system with absolutely no theory behind it.
1/?
>>7873200
This leads into the second common reading of the Trial: the theological dimension. Essentially, as was just shown, this is a court with no logical reasoning behind its actions. Yet, it still commands its subjects to do as they say. It's actually quite humorous as to exactly inefficient this court is. They tell K. to arrive at his weekly inquiry, yet they do not specify any specific time. I contend, however, that they are this disorganized and sporadic on purpose, but I'll get to that later. The point being is that the court commands its subjects to obey its laws without giving any adequate reasoning for doing so. What does this sound like? It sounds a bit like The Binding of Isaac, if you ask me. The court, then, adopts the role of God. The court commands, yet the court does not give reason. Just as God commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, the court commands K. to trial, despite *never* informing him as to what he is being tried for. There is no logical theory behind the orders of the court, yet they are expected to be obeyed, unquestionably.
I know the least about the biographical reading of this text, but that is another common interpretation. Kafka famously is diagnosed with tuberculosis shortly after he wakes in the middle of the night, vomiting blood. The Trial, then, can be read of his own exploration of his own inevitable doom. He must undergo these nonsensical proceedings, these frequent visits to the doctor, these ritualistic remedies, yet to no avail. It's all absolutely pointless. Side note -- What do you think Kafka said about his disease shortly after diagnosed? "This is appropriate." A rather bizarre reaction to, for the most part, a terminal illness. Furthermore, Kafka becomes absolutely OBSESSED with Kierkegaard at this stage in his life. One can read a pretty clear influence of Kierkegaard into The Trial, but I won't get into the nitty gritty of that now.
1/?
>>7873203
On the judgment vs the proceedings: Let's make this clear. There is absolutely no distinct judgment. The judgment *is* the proceedings. At no moment is Kafka taken to his final trial or told what he is accused of. Rather, as K.'s lawyer says, "the proceedings gradually merge into the judgment." This is a court that doesn't actually fulfill the function it promises and never will. The proceedings themselves, and how K. conducts himself in them, are nothing but one lengthy judgment. K.'s life, then, is continually judged, from the moment he is accused to the moment he is killed.
Furthermore, I contend that K.'s trial provides a spectacle that public absolutely delights in. Notice how absolutely everybody inquires into K.'s trial. Manufacturers, merchants, his uncle, painters, Leni--they all seek to know how he is coming along. Even more interesting, K.'s lawyer notes that "Defendants are simply more attractive" and "an experienced eye can pick them out in a crowd." Those accused, then, are marked for public display. There struggle (and, I contend, sacrifice) becomes a showcase for all to see. Women become obsessed with K. once he is accused. K.'s lawyer REFUSES to let himself be fired. Why? Because he, too, wishes to observe the sacrificial victim.
Finally, let's look at names and roles within the Trial (and, honestly, all of Kafka's work). Rarely are people given names. People are merely the manufacturer, or the artist, or the defendant, or the mistress. Even K.'s name is a mere initial--nothing more than a placeholder. The characters in Kafka are not defined by their names, but by their roles or purposes. Furthermore, I think that, in assigning such lazy or simple roles to his characters, Kafka is mocking the novel itself in a type of metacommentary. In the Castle, there is an important line that I think is also applicable to the Trial:
>I'm faithful to my husband, but to Klamm? Klamm once made me his mistress, can I ever lost that distinction? And you ask how you should endure this with Frieda? Oh, Surveyor, who are you who dare to ask such a thing?
What interests me, here, is the 'distinction' that is assigned to her person. Because she is assigned the role of mistress, she cannot possibly transcend that. You see the same thing in the trial. The merchant is a stand-in Jew character. The lawyer is old, self-important, and conservative. The women, once assigned as mistresses, are licentious. I think that, in doing so, Kafka is commenting on the limitations of the novel. In order for a narrative that follows one character to progress in a world of multiple characters, one must have some characters who are static, unchanging, and one-dimensional. Kafka, then, cuts the bullshit. There's no need for names. These people are defined by their roles and how can they possibly ever 'lose that distinction'
Sorry I'm a bit rushed but if you guys like this, we can do some more later. Hope this has been a little helpful
>>7873207
*their struggle
Er, whoops
>>7872843
I should re-read The Trial & The Castle as well. For further insights, I suggest you read Pavel Eisner's "Franz Kafka and Prague" published in Kritický měsíčník, 1948. That was the main source in my essay. Anyways, here's some of the most interesting insights that I got from reading about his life, in my opinion.
>Without democratic support, it is not possible to live "dans le vrai", in accordance with the truth and the law.
>Which Kafka did not consider himself able to do; throughout his adult life, he agonized over the search for his soul mate, because he did not consider himself to be capable of living as truthfully as possible. The difference between Kafka being a "Jew and German", instead of just one of them contains a cyclical sin, which led to Kafka becoming discriminated in more or less serious ways, in shape of incitement against the prejudiced origin that he carried with him.
>He also took part in Czech-anarchist movements, such as Klub Mladých, and during his youth he went to Czech political meetings, gatherings and discussions to be able to listen to František Soukup, Václav Klofáč, Karel Kramar, that is, representatives of various democratic parties.
>During his student years, Kafka partly went, as suggested by his second cousin Bruno Kafka, to the liberal association "Lese und Rede Halle deutscher Studenten" together with a high percentage of other Jews in Prague. As a member of the society, which lacked an Aryan clause, he was despised by the patriotic German students, often simply through his existence being declared as an opposition to the Czechs genius loci, meaning that the collective opinion in that society was against him. Once inside of the association, there was little speaking against that he would have gotten to know some of the most prominent German Prague Jews through the ages, such as the musician Antonín Dvořák or professor and deputy Masaryk. But despite their acquaintance possibly having contributed to a spirit of togetherness, Kafka was separated on more grounds from their community.
>More unusual phenomena Kafka pursued were that he went to the National Theatre, as a source to widen his knowledge in Czech culture, and that he went from writing with German to Latin handwriting. Eisner reasons that it was because he thought he had to emphasize his desire to read Czech books, which his friend sent him. The latter came in particular to include a profound decision, because it meant that he thus dissociated himself from the fracture, the written ghetto for the Germans.
>>7869131
lachen mir den Arsch ab
>>7873203
>One can read a pretty clear influence of Kierkegaard into The Trial, but I won't get into the nitty gritty of that now.
intrigued
i need to relearn german
>>7869322
Kafka didn't believe in psychology.
>"Psychology is impatience."
>"Never again psychology!"
These were either aphorisms or journal entries. This is a well done interpretation, but it just makes Kafka a scribe of Freud, and that doesn't do justice, in my view, to le bug man's overwhelming force of personality and potent creativity.
Rather than the family using Gregor as a sacrifice, I think the blunt moral of the story is that sickness and ugliness needs to make way for beauty and life. This, I think, is repeated in the ending of a hunger artist, where the ascetic is replaced by the jaguar whose life seems to stream forth from his mouth (paraphrasing). The jaguar eats happily, and crowds gather around him... the bitter ascetic dies unremembered.
While more blatantly sexual here (the sister's young body, va va voom!), I think the theme doesn't end at sex, it's really life-spirit, altogether.
>>7874194
good post m9
>>7874194
I absolutely don't mean to make Kafka a scribe of Freud. However, he does love to incorporate his scholastic passions into his work. Freud's influence is undoubtedly within the metamorphosis, but that isn't to say that Kafka is ripping Freud or merely adapting him. Rather, he's incorporating one of his notions into the Metamorphosis.
I always found Kafka to be more relatable, and his writings like the Metamorphosis to be more easily understood, after I read the long letter he wrote to his father. I don't have a link, but if anyone's interested, definitely look it up and give it a read.
>>7874321
Letter to the Father is pretty frequently published, im not sure it'll be online
>>7874215
Mhm. Historicism or a totalization of an author is dangerous
>>7869008
They can't move on.
Gregor and his family believe that he will eventually return to his human form, which is evidenced when Grete wants to remove the furniture on Gregor's bedroom.
Grete is the character that struggles the most to move on (maybe because she is also going through changes due to her puberty?), while Mr. and Mrs. Samsa are shown to grasp at key elements of their life prior to Gregor's metamorphosis (being in uniform at home/not wanting to move the furniture/not moving to a smaller house).
Gregor is also reluctant, thus why he grasped at the painting in an attempt to continue to be a human.
When they realize that he will not come back to normal, he becomes the artifact for the reunification of his family. His family unites by ceasing to interact with him, and he turns himself into a despicable creature (not cleaning himself, not eating, not being discreet anymore).
That's just my interpretation, though.
>>7874643
I don't think they are reluctant to move out because of any service to Gregor. Rather, they see him as a burden they must, by societal standards, take care off. Hence, they resent him
