Franz Kafka: The Predicament of the Modern Man

1. Franz Kafka:The Predicament of the Modern Man “I am separated from all things by a hollow space, and I do not even reach to its boundaries.”

2. Childhood “I enclose a picture of myself when I was perhaps five years old. At that time, that angry face was just for fun, but now, I think of it as the secret truth.” • Born in Prague, July 3, 1883. • Father was an overbearing man who was never able to appreciate his son’s special talents. • This led to a lifetime of guilt, anxiety, and lack of self-confidence.

3. College and Beyond • Studied law in college to please his father, although interested in literature. • 1906, after graduation, began working in a government worker’s insurance office while living with his parents • Wrote The Metamorphosis in 1912.

4. Broken Engagements • Engaged to Felice Bauer in 1914. Broke it off three months later due to self-doubts. Several months later, became engaged again, only to break it off again in 1917 after being diagnosed with tuberculosis. • Engaged to Julie Wohrzek in 1918, but broke this off as well. • Rest of his short life was a series of unsuccessful relationships and worsening health. • Died at age 41 in 1924.

5. Kafka’s Success * Kafka felt that The Metamorphosis was one of his more successful achievements. * When he was ill with tuberculosis, he asked his good friend Max Brod to destroy all unpublished writings after his death. Max did not and Kakfa survives as one of the most admired writers of the twentieth century. Monument to Kafka in Prague.

6. The Metamorphosis The novella features: * a neutral tone to keep it from seeming cartoonish. * humor as a response to emotional pain. * symbolism that is open to multiple interpretations. Kafka does not lead his readers to his meaning, he allows you to find your way there your- self.

7. “We are as forlorn as children lost in the wood. When you stand in front of me and look at me, what do you know of the griefs that are in me and what do I know of yours. If I were to cast myself down before you and tell you, what more would you know about me that you know about Hell when someone tells you it is hot and dreadful? For that reason alone, we human beings ought to stand before one another as reverently, as reflectively, as lovingly as we would before the entrance to Hell.” -- Franz Kafka, age 20