Kafka A Guide for the Perplexed

Guides for the Perplexed

by Clayton Koelb

Franz Kafka is one of the most widely taught, and read, writers in world literature. Readers encountering texts like 'The Metamorphosis' and The Trial for the first time are frequently perplexed by his often intentionally weird writing. Some might say that Kafka's enduring achievement has been to make his readers love being perplexed. As much of Kafka's writing is designed to perplex the reader, this guide helps the reader understand why and how perplexity has been deliberately created by Kafka's text and to realize what the uses of such perplexity might be. The book guides readers through their first encounters with Kafka and introduces the problems involved in reading his texts, the nature of his texts from the key novels and novellas to letters and professional writings, his life as a writer and different approaches to reading Kafka.

Genres: Nonfiction

Paperback

First published August 17, 2010

Reviews

[Kamakana · Rating 4 out of 5]

251018: later addition: couple of months later, i think i need to revisit my critique of kafka's life if not work. i think that my somewhat negative assessment of his way of writing, his romantic obsessions, his... etc. are mostly disturbing because, to someone else, this describes me! great. but then it is truly all down to his work. so his life, my life, does not matter...

first review: well if you are confused, you have come to the right book on kafka. who probably most wanted to confuse, in order to alert, in order to disturb, in order to ‘break the frozen sea within us’. i have wanted to delay this until i had reread more of him, but became frustrated in rereading him, as if the first time as it has been years (decades...) since first read and somewhat forgotten. i am not in his universe. it is an interesting place to visit but i would not want to live there. reading this book does clear up some misconceptions i have had, shows it is possible to be materially successful yet socially disastrous, but he should not be thought some naive tortured writer who labors under poverty etc... he knew what he was about...

if kafka has trouble writing it seems mostly down to him, though no one will blame him for tuberculosis that kills him young. yes he has circumstances against him, he wants to be a good bourgeoise, he is guilty he never is, he writes at killing times, he is obsessive, he is romantically useless, he has his demons, he is radically self-critical, he is never successful in organizing readable novels... and yes in many ways 'kafka' is actually a creation of his friend/editor max brod.... and yet, and yet, he is essential reading to understand the turbulence and enduring anguish and loneliness and loss of the last century, requiring much attention, offering much reward...