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Hi friends,
I spent the last week completely obsessed with the work of Franz Kafka, not because of how marvelous a writer he is, but because I couldn’t understand his work at all.
A couple of weeks ago, I picked up "Metamorphosis," hoping for an amazing novella. A man turning into a giant bug? What could that possibly mean? My first impression was somewhat dark, and I found it boring with no apparent meaning. However, I was not satisfied and couldn’t understand why people were so obsessed with his work. Is it really overhyped, or am I just not grasping the essence and being naive?
So, I went on to read more of Kafka's short stories, hoping for some kind of allegorical impact. Unfortunately, I don't really think I understand any allegorical connotations (symbolic representation) from Kafka's work...unless, perhaps, his work isn't meant to have allegorical connotations? While then I discovered a new term: Kafkaeqsue, describing the work and philosophy of Franz Kafka.
Kafkaesque
It refers to situations or experiences characterized by a surreal, nightmarish, or absurdly complex nature, similar to themes found in the works of author Franz Kafka
In the words of Frederick Karl, the author of the exhaustive critical biography of Kafka, and I quote: "It's when you enter a surreal world in which all your control patterns, all your plans, the whole way in which you have configured your own behavior, begin to fall to pieces, and you find yourself against a force that does not lend itself to the way you perceive the world."
"You don't give up, you don't lie down and die. What you do is struggle against this with all of your equipment, with whatever you have. But, of course, you don't stand a chance. That's Kafkaesque."
Finding allegorical connotations in Kafka’s work is quite difficult, but not impossible. His literary style is characterized by ambiguity, surrealism, and the exploration of complex psychological and philosophical themes. In ‘Metamorphosis‘, Gregor turning into a bug can be seen as allegoric (symbolic) for physical or mental disabilities, delusion, dementia, and alienation (the feeling of being disconnected from society, family, or even their own selves). From Gregor’s perspective, he is the same as before, but for society, he is a bug, not the Gregor everyone knew, they started seeing him differently and ultimately not at all considering him. As Karl mentioned above, he didn’t give up on living; he fought, struggled, and eventually died. And this is what Kafkaesque is.
This is exactly what Kafka's personal life was about. This is exactly what all our lives are about. Sudden and unexpected things happen, changing the course of our lives, leaving us with no option but to live with them, and suffer. The more I read about Kafka, the more I understand about Kafkaesque. I've come across a recommendation to read "The Trial" to grasp the true essence of Kafkaesque. I'll read it and hope to gain a clearer understanding of what Kafkaesque truly represents.
That’s it for this edition, will pen down more thoughts on Kafkaesuqe in the future.
What’d you think of today’s edition?
Until next time,
Dhairya Sheth :)
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