Since Benjamin and Brecht in 1934 in Swedish exile Kafka discussed, there is something as an unbridgeable divide between Kafka and Brecht: Here the Marxist that the undogmatic Marxist; here the parable as a Gordian knot that the egg of Columbus; here the solipsistic that the changeable “reality”; here the ontological that the capitalist (self-)alienation; here the autonomous that the engaged art. Another critic brings the dichotomy on the self-deprecating point: the decadent aesthetist Kafka should have been a “realist” ultimately- so Lukács, when he was carted to his “process” on Soviet military truck from Budapest in 1956. Anyone who expects from Wagner a (reception-historical) reviewof this controversy becomes disappointed For him she …show more content…
Prometheus’ and Odysseus’ encounter with the sirens (by both) Poseidon (by Kafka) and Oedipus and Antigone (by Brecht) stand in the foreground at the same time. Wagner’s tracing of this appropriation is doubtless of the wisest, what the research should offer to that: astute, stringent, and concise. He turns out as more profound “old philologist” who still can take pleasure in convincing exegetical importance to the smallest …show more content…
Thus Wagner’s appropriation is nuanced and convincing, so reductive and unconvincing conclusion as it relates to the tricky question about the Kafka-Brecht-relationship. He does not say it’s about "Dominance" but "difference." However, he reduced Kafka to the nihilist to accomplish this difference. Indeed, he emphasized (regarding of “sirens”-text) Kafka’s “irrem? joke” through “farewell to the myth” but he already speaks on “Poseideon” from the missing “luck potential” and finally stated that “Prometheus” would end despite of the “sparkling attractions of the inexplicable” in “the eternal cold of nothing” Wagner’s conclusion is therefore: “Whoever reads Brecht through Kafka’s eyes see the limits of the doable and the changeable more sharply. On the other hand, the view of futility loses its magical allure In the approach, Wagner’s view is more convincing that Kafka and Brecht are the flip one side and the same coin. What exactly the diosporic is on the both antipodes, is only hinted at The repeated statement, Kafka and Brecht would stand “on the same human Earth” approximately concludes that is meant above all the Enlightenment liberation from
...loss of their friendship but of a man who was both an idol and kindred spirit. In the space Wagner left, Bizet was able to root himself by planting his music. It had roots; it was real and based on experience in that it allowed the audience to brings theirs to the theatre. Where Wagnerian theatre told the audience what to feel, Carmen just told them to feel. It asked the audience to overcome its imperfections, to evaluate why they liked it, what it made them feel. Parsifal made them feel till they believed. Bizet was more appropriate for small theatres in that he only sought to produce the best thing that he could; what was his best over the best. That is the realm of Wagner, and in order to compose the greatest, most popular opera one has to pander to the masses. Those rabble which Nietzsche says are afflicted by the illness of Christianity, morality and decadence.
The triviality of melodrama is so often the theatrical scapegoat that boils the blood of the modern-day critic: the sentimental monologues, the martyred young lovers, the triumphant hero, and the self-indulgent imagery. Melodrama would seem the ultimate taboo; another failed Shakespearean staging or even worse, an opera minus the pretty music. Ironically, Bertolt Brecht, dramatic revolutionary and cynic of all things contrived found promise in the melodramatic presentation. Brecht examined and manipulated the various superficial and spectacular aspects of theatre, establishing a synthesis of entertainment and social criticism as his fundamental goal. Bertolt Brecht employs various facets of melodramatic technique in The Jewish Wife, ultimately reconfiguring the genre and conveying his central theme; a society rendered immobile at the will of a totalitarian regime.
Before the similarities are displayed, the justifications behind this premise are as follows. Kafka’s works demonstrates the use of a self-nulling reference system in order to void possibilities of critics attempting to use hermeneutics (Thiher, 50). Hermeneutics is the methodology of interpretation. Examples of this method can be found throughout the story in the use of the realistic and unrealistic elements intertwined in different situations. “Kafka’s Metamorphosis validates contradictory readings that cancel coherent interpretation,” is a quote by confirmed critic Gavriel Ben-Ephraim(451). A specific example can be located in Part I, when Gregor attempts to rise from bed and fails. He thinks to himself, “What a job I’ve chosen.” In truth, he did not h...
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.
Bernstein, Richard. “A VOYAGE THROUGH KAFKA'S AMBIGUITIES”. New York Times 02 May 1983. : n. pag. ProQuest Platinum.
Sokel, Walter H. “From Marx to Myth: The Structure and Function Of Self-Alienation In Kafka’s Metamorphosis.” Critical Insights: The Metamorphosis (2011): 215-230. Literary Reference Center. Web. 15 Mar. 2014.
Rewriting the Argument “position” sentence was necessary to demonstrate a stronger argument on why I agree with Moody’s opinion, as well as inform the reader right away to what specific extent my argument holds. In my Argument essay I agreed with Moody to a certain extent, but I needed to show the reader to what capacity my agreement stands. Literary texts, novels, even the Gospel are the type of writings that can be read in many ways. Euphemisms, metaphorical meanings, psychological and philosophical meanings exist in these type of texts and I agree that there is no ‘right or ‘wrong way” to read these particular kind. Continuing on with the idea of Umberto Echo’s concept of “open text,” the sentence was restructured, first because of mixed construction and second to provide a complete and well thought out idea. The Kafka’s Metamorphosis example of the “bug” was omitted, because in the original essay, I was forcing myself to make a point that the word “bug” could be interpreted in many ways. Though that is true, using Umberto Echo’s Role of the Reader and the concept of “open text”, already more that supported my argument. Revising the example made regarding Mr. Flanders’ influence was necessary to support my reason that there is more than one way to interpret a text like
An enigmatic storyteller, Franz Kafka's legacy has long remained the subject of many writings on existential literature. His stories explore themes which are so depressing, and at times seem so futile, as to put off many a reader while entrancing yet another. The most popular of his works, The Trial is no less perplexing than its brethren, and a perfunctory examination leaves the reader distinctly unsatisfied. After all, what is the point of reading a two hundred odd page book about a man on trial if you never find out what he did, or if he's even guilty? It's tempting to suggest that, being an existential piece of literature, the point is that there is no point. However, Kafka's work is so multi-faceted as to provide many other possible interpretations - a myriad of which are of much greater value than such a simplistic analysis. One of the more interesting angles to consider The Trial from consists of recognizing the story as one of Josef's troubled self-identity, and the characters in it as representative of a mental struggle with uncertainty and guilt. Examined in this light, the story ceases to feel so monotonous and dull, and the ending is ultimately less jarring and unexpected.
Wagner, Valeria. "Losing the Name of Action." New Essays on Hamlet. New York: AMS Press, 1994. 135-152.
In “A Hunger”, “The Penal Colony”, and Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, Kafka succeeded in showing his individuals as obsessed with their profession; however their obsession caused their doom because society asks so much from an individual, only so much can be done. However, regardless of that, these individuals choose their work over themselves, and not even bad health or death can stop them. Because society places immures pressure on Kafka’s work obsessed character, they neglect their well-being and cause their own downfall.
... words, the father’s repressed jealousy turns to hatred towards his son. The next example is shown when George commits suicide. Georg's suicide at the end of the book portrays the repressed part of Georg’s personality finally coming to light, the hypothetical result of his This idea relates to the role reversals in the book, in which the parent acts like the child, and the child acts the the parent. The friend in Russia is nearly the exact opposite of Georg and is immature, whereas Georg acts like the adult by putting the father to bed and changing his clothes. The friend and the father indirectly form a bond by being similar. The repressed part comes out aggressively when Georg commits suicide. Therefore, the repression and displacement found in The Judgement reflects Kafka’s real life subconscious unrest as seen when compared to Kafka real life mentioned below.
“Hanna Arendt detects in Brecht’s plays the idea that to change a “bad” world into a “good” one you have to become “bad” yourself. Discuss by looking carefully at Galileo and the characters around him in The Life of Galileo”.
‘When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from unsettling dreams, he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin’. Kafka begins his most famous work of literature with a peculiar yet effective first sentence. The statement is simple in nature but its meaning is much bolder and as a result Kafka is able to grab his readers’ attention. The reader has to contemplate what this could mean and consequently ask ‘why’ such an incident took place. Kafka is very effective in engaging his audience into his text and therefore readers go on to find out more about the peculiar man who turned into a ‘monstrous vermin’.
Kafka’s response to the Industrial Revolution is touching as he represents the consequences on the working class society through the figurative transformation of Gregor Samsa into a bug. While Gregor is deprived of his human characteristics, such as his senses, he is also deprived of his connection with the world; Kafka’s conveys the feelings of the working society as they were dehumanized.
The ideas of Bertolt Brecht (1898-1965) changed the theatre in many ways. Brecht along with Erwin Piscator developed the style of Epic theatre style contrasting to previous accepted styles. Presentational in form, Epic theatre is a vehicle for social comment through techniques such as: alienation, historification, eclectic influences (highly Asian), constructivism in scenery, disjointed and illogical scene placement, ordinary clothing and lighting, the use of music to detach the audience from emotion, placards and signs and projected images. Didactic in nature Brecht’s works aim to challenge the audience to assess socially accepted norms and educate them to injustices often overlooked by the public. The Caucasian Chalk Circle (Brecht, 1944) written during the time of Nazi Germany occupation has a clearly political and social focus.