Franz Kafka, one of the best known 20th century literary figures, has a unique writing style that has been widely influential and is worthy to emulate. The objective of this paper is to analyze and pull apart the various aspects of Kafka’s style, and concurrently critique my own attempt to imitate Kafka’s style. I will explore the aspects of Kafka’s work (primarily
Metamorphosis) from the very basic elements of style to literary techniques, and explain my attempt to utilize these same elements in my own work of short fiction The Infinite Desert.
First, examining the very basic elements of style in both Metamorphosis and The Hunger
Artist, a distinct stylistic approach becomes clear. In terms of syntax, Kafka likes to write very long sentences. While I’m tempted to refer to this stylistic choice as stream of consciousness, it really does not fall under that definition. While he writes in long (and I mean really long) sentences, there isn’t that sense of disjointed ideas and thoughts. Specifically speaking of
Metamorphosis, Gregor’s thoughts are not presented in a rambling way; his thoughts are not streaming together. They are clearly and carefully expressed. Stream of consciousness, in my experience, can be difficult to follow and comprehend, but this narrative is very clear and comprehendible in this sense.
In the same vein, Kafka’s diction has certain clarity as well, which seems to help to intensify the fantastical element of his work. His writing is very straightforward and simple without heavy figurative language. It is not too wordy. It is also very formal. Take for example the opening lines from The Hunger Artist, “In recent decades the public’s interest in the art of fasting has suffered a marked decl...
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... a little he could see his domelike brown belly divided into bow-shaped ridges”.
While I tried to carefully describe the desert and statues in my story in a similarly matter-of-fact way, my story is not grounded in reality. The desert in my story is clearly a whole other world, which is not something that Kafka would have done. Though I don’t think that writing the story in that way took anything away from it, it does make it far less ‘Kafkaesque’.
From my experience trying to imitate Kafka’s writing style I feel I have come to understand the complexities of his unique style better. Having teased apart the aspects of his style and examined the various literary elements and techniques from syntax to metaphors, I certainly have developed a great appreciation for the strange, illogical, and just plain bizarre worlds Kafka has created in his short fiction.
As writers, neither Franz Kafka nor Flannery O’Connor received sincere approval from their parents concerning their art. While this fact in no way hampered their desire or ability to create beautifully haunting work, there is evidence that it left bitter feelings. In his letter to his father, Kafka states: “you struck a better blow when you aimed at my writing, and hit, unknowingly, all that went with it. . . but my writing dealt with you, I lamented there only what I could not lament on your breast.”
There is a theory that dream and myth are related which is conveyed through the writing of Douglas Angus’ Kafka's Metamorphosis and "The Beauty and the Beast" Tale and supported by Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis. The stories are very symbolic when conveying the metamorphosis of a human being. Unlike Beauty and the Beast, in the Metamorphosis some suggest love is received through acts of cruelty yet in actuality it appears that cruelty results in heartache. Due to being a beast, the repulsiveness requires genuine love which can achieve the “magical transformation.” This “magical transformation” is not achieved and creates a twist in the plot derived from the concepts in the “Beauty and the Beast.”
Bernstein, Richard. “A VOYAGE THROUGH KAFKA'S AMBIGUITIES”. New York Times 02 May 1983. : n. pag. ProQuest Platinum.
Kafka is known for his highly symbolic and oblique style of writing. It is no surprise that several of his pieces contain the same major themes, just in different settings. The fact that he repeats his styles only makes the message that he is trying to convey much stronger. In both “The Metamorphosis” and “A Hunger Artist”, the main characters are similar in the way that they are both extremely dedicated to their work. In “The Metamorphosis”, Gregor Samsa wakes up one morning to find himself transformed into a bug. Oddly enough, Gregor does not question how this transformation happened or even why it happened. He is more concerned about getting to work (Metamorphosis 4). Similarly, in “A Hunger Artist”, the main character is completely dedicated to his job. In fact, he is so dedicated that he actually thinks of ways in which he can improve himself. At the end of a fast he asks himself, "Why stop fasting at this particular moment…why stop now…?" (Bedford 637).
...and ridiculed, especially for entertainment purposes. Nonetheless, the Artist shows a hunger for fame, even if the fame and attention comes from a sick and wild point of view. The Hunger Artist dies a man of sorrow and failure, but is reborn as his opposite, a hungry, strong panther eating everything that comes its way. Maybe in some way the Artist represents a lost tradition of fasting which seemed to come and go, as well as maybe representing the desire that our generation today tends to eat too much and require too much. In the end, the Hunger Artist will be remembered as an outcast of society, and after all his years of fasting, his accomplishments are forgotten, easily replaced as if he never existed.
Franz Kafka always had a strong background in literature and writing. Pursuing a career in law, Kafka put his writing skills to good use, but he always had a knack and passion for writing literature such as short stories, poetry and full novels more than working his actual job. By the age of 27, Kafka attended a play put on by a Yiddish theatre troupe performing in Prague. With the lack of money the troupe had, they became stranded in the town, where Kafka gained his interest in Yiddish theatre (Gray, 301). With the stranding of this troupe, critics believed this to be what led to the influence of most of Kafka’s later writings. This is believed due to the evidence of a journal found after Kafka’s death. These journals kept records of performances he attended, plot synopses, character analysis, descriptions of staging and critiques of the performances (Gray, 301). Kafka also had a journal filled with vignettes about specific productions, along with brief reflections on the theater and the production (Puchner, 177). We first see Kafka showin...
According to Arp and Johnson, “Literary fiction plunges us, through the author’s imaginative vision and artistic ability, more deeply into the real world, enabling us to understand life’s difficulties and to empathize with others.” In the story The Metamorphosis by Kafka he uses his genius imaginative vision and artistic ability, making us understand and feel empathy toward his main character, Gregor. Kafka uses a tremendous amount of symbolism and metaphors to get us to feel the mood in the story and in general life’s difficulties.
Neumann, Gerhard. "The Judgement, Letter to His Father, and the Bourgeois Family." Trans. Stanley Corngold. Reading Kafka. Ed. Mark Anderson. New York: Schocken, 1989. 215-28.
They write about the unspoken mysteries of the life of their protagonists. Each of them has produced extraordinary works which make the reader observe the world in new eyes.
Kafka’s Metamorphosis is a novel containing an astronomical amount of anthropomorphism that help to construct the idea of Mind versus the body or even Animal versus Mankind. These ideas are displayed throughout the work as dualities. These dualities compare two unlike objects that contrast to the point that they highlight the similarities between them. These dualities are often used to enlighten the audience as to important cultural and contextual convictions.
...tant. and the only important thing was what he decided was important. His mother was distant, his father was harsh, his relationships failed, his sexuality was an element of internal conflict. His job was meaningless and draining and his country was on the brink of an epic conflict. Suffice it to say that his life wasn't exactly a box of chocolates. When you combine this with depression,(which may or may not have been a result of all of the above) and some suicidal wishes, and you get a quite unhappy person. The Judgement illustrates a number of the perceived judgments on kafka by those around him, culminating in his father passing judgement on him, sentencing him to death. He does as his father asks, and jumps from the bridge. The vast and ranging parallels between Kafka’s works and Kafka's life illustrate the degree to which his life was reflected in his work.
Aldiss, Brian W. “Franz Kafka: Overview.” St. James Guide to Science Fiction Writers. Ed. Jay P. Pederson. 4th ed. New York: St. James Press, 1996.
In The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, the style enhances the nightmarish quality of the work. Kafka's detached tone makes the phrase “from the burning pain he felt that the lower part of his body might well, at present, be the most sensitive.” seem uncaring. The story contains a lack of empathy or remorse and, in a sense, it makes the reader feel isolated from the story as if what is happening to Gregor is a strange dream. Additionally, Gregor is obviously struggling physically to maneuver in his new transformation “But it became difficult after that, especially as he was so exceptionally broad.” Kafka makes no attempt to soften this sentence in any way, he states everything literally. The fact that nothing is 'cushioned' or 'sugar coated' as
Franz Kafka’s “Before the Law” is often referred to as a parable. Thus, it is logical to approach Kafka’s work as an allegory and search for the deeper meaning underneath the story. We can then try to uncover the identity of the characters; of the gatekeeper, the man from the country, and the Law and subsequently relating them to something that fits the example of the plot; a man’s confused search for god, a man’s quest for happiness but never accomplishing it, a academic’s quest for recognition which never comes. Any given number of innovative readers...