Franz Kafka's Life and Work

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Franz Kafka's Life and Work

No person that leads a normal life is likely to write a metaphorical yet literal story about a man transforming into a bug. That being said, no person that leads a normal life is likely to alter a genre as much as Franz Kafka did. With the unusual combination of declining physical health and a resurgence of spiritual ideas, Franz Kafka, actively yearning for life, allowed his mind to travel to the places that his body could not take him. In his recurring themes of guilt, pain, obscurity, and lucidity, are direct connections to his childhood and daily life. His family dynamic, infatuation with culture and theater, and his personal illnesses all shaped his imagination into the poignant yet energetic thing that made him so well-known. With all of his influences combined, Franz Kafka developed a writing style so distinct that he founded a semi-genre all his own: kafkaism.

Unlike many modern writers, Franz Kafka was heavily influenced by his religion and the culture that accompanied it. This interest caused him to maintain a substantial interest in the Yiddish Theater for the rest of his life. Kafka’s parents were very minimalistic regarding Judaistic practice, so Kafka did not embrace his spiritual culture until he moved away from his parents (Beck xii). Once he realized that there was a new outlet for him in spirituality, he identified as a Jew, but was uncertain in his beliefs after living for such a long time without religion (Wilson 1). Being that he was in a mentally turbulent state, his ambivalence toward religion was reflected in the confusion of The Metamorphosis. After taking interest in his religion, he began attending plays put on by the Yiddish Theater Troupe. More than anything, Yiddish ...

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... relations, and ever present illnesses that impacted kafka’s work most dramatically. Without this man and all of his influences, the world would be without a great insight: insight into the mind of someone different--Kafka.

Works Cited

Beck, Evelyn Torton. Kafka and the Yiddish theater, its impact on his work.. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1971. Print.

Diamant, Kathi. Kafka's last love: the mystery of Dora Diamant. New York: Basic Books, 2003. Print.

Epstein, Joseph. "Is Franz Kafka Overrated?." Atlantic Monthly, The. 01 Jul. 2013: 48. eLibrary. Web. 02 May. 2014.

Murray, Nicholas. Kafka. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2004. Print.

Neider, Charles. “Kafka Mirrors Our Uncertainties, Frustrations, Fears.” New York Times. 5 Aug, 1945. 93. Print.

Wilson, John. “Kafka and God.” Weekly Standard. 04 Apr. 2005: 35. eLibrary. Web. 24 Apr. 2014

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