Franz Kafka in Context

Description

Franz Kafka (1883–1924) lived through one of the most turbulent periods in modern history, witnessing a world war, the dissolution of an empire and the foundation of a new nation state. But the early twentieth century was also a time of social progress and aesthetic experimentation. Kafka's novels and short stories reflect their author's keen but critical engagement with the big questions of his time, and yet often Kafka is still cast as a solitary figure with little or no connection to his age. Franz Kafka in Context aims to redress this perception. In thirty-five short, accessible essays, leading international scholars explore Kafka's personal and working life, his reception of art and culture, his engagement with political and social issues, and his ongoing reception and influence. Together they offer a nuanced and historically grounded image of a writer whose work continues to fascinate readers from all backgrounds. Cover Half title Title Copyright Contents List of Illustrations Notes on Contributors Chronology List of Abbreviations and Note on the Texts Introduction Part I Life and Work 1 Family 2 Friendship 3 Women 4 Work 5 Health and Illness 6 Writing 7 Style Part II Art and Literature 8 Literary Modernism 9 Kafka’s Reading 10 Gesture 11 Performance and Recitation 12 Film 13 Photography 14 Music 15 Architecture Part III Politics, Culture, History 16 Prague: History and Culture 17 Czech Language and Literature 18 The First World War 19 Travel, Colonialism and Exoticism 20 Law 21 Philosophy 22 Religion 23 Judaism and Zionism 24 Psychology and Psychoanalysis 25 Gender and Sexuality 26 The City 27 Childhood, Pedagogy and Education 28 Ethnography and Anthropology Part IV Reception and Influence 29 Early Critical Reception 30 Critical Theory 31 Deconstruction 32 Reading Kafka 33 Editions 34 Translation 35 Film Adaptations Further Reading Index