Lecture on Franz Kafka

Introduction

• Kafka was a Czech writer known for depicting human emotions often described as "Kafkaesque."
• His works help us recognize, gain perspective on, and find relief from dark emotions.
• Common themes include feeling powerless, being bullied, and societal or familial shame.

Kafka's Early Life

• Born in Prague in 1883.
• Eldest child with a psychologically abusive father and a weak, compliant mother.
• Grew up timid, bookish, and full of self-hatred.
• Desired to be a writer, but his father forced him to work in low-level jobs (lawyer’s office, insurance company).

Personal Struggles

• Unsuccessful relationships with women.
• Sex drive led him to brothels and pornography.
• Published very little in his lifetime.
• Known for short stories, particularly "The Metamorphosis."

Posthumous Reputation

• Based on three unfinished novels: "The Trial," "The Castle," and "America."
• Kafka had ordered the destruction of these works, which was fortunately ignored.

Relationship with His Father

• Never wrote directly about his father but experienced significant psychological influence.
• Wrote a 47-page letter to his father in 1919, explaining his deformity from childhood experiences.
• Major incident: being left on the balcony in a nightshirt, causing lasting trauma.

Kafka's Fiction

"The Judgment"

• Story of a young businessman, Georg, and his condemning father.
• Themes of arbitrary judgment and filial obedience.

"The Trial"

• Joseph K. is arrested without knowing his charge, symbolizing internalized guilt and societal oppression.
• Explores legal bureaucracy and its impact on individual well-being.

"The Metamorphosis"

• Gregor Samsa transforms into an insect, facing family betrayal and self-disgust.
• Represents arbitrary power and self-loathing.

"The Hunger Artist"

• Late story about a fasting performer who eventually loses his audience's interest.
• Symbolizes Kafka’s own health struggles and the quest for unattainable satisfaction.

Kafka's Legacy

• Died in 1924 from laryngeal tuberculosis.
• Became celebrated posthumously, with a rising reputation by the Second World War.
• Family perished in the Holocaust.
• Known for reconnecting readers with difficult emotions.
• Famous quote: "A book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us."