Franz Kafka’s writing has had a wide-reaching influence on European literature, culture and thought. The Cambridge Companion to Kafka, offers a comprehensive account of his life and work, providing a rounded contemporary appraisal of Central Europe’s most distinctive Modernist. Contributions cover all the key texts, and discuss Kafka’s writing in a variety of critical contexts such as feminism, deconstruction, psycho-analysis, Marxism, Jewish studies. Other chapters discuss his impact on popular culture and film. The essays are well supported by supplementary material including a chronology of the period and detailed guides to further reading, and will be of interest to students of German, European and Comparative Literature, Jewish Studies.
• Offers a range of critical approaches, from Feminism to Jewish studies and folklore studies • Covers all Kafka’s main works of fiction • The volume is well supported by a detailed chronology and bibliography
Contents
Acknowledgments; Abbreviations; Chronology; Notes on Contributors; Introduction: Kafka's Europe Julian Preece; 1. Kafka's writing and our reading David Constantine; 2. A psychoanalytic reading of The Man Who Disappeared Anne Fuchs; 3. The exploration of the modern city in The Trial Rolf J. Goebel; 4. The Castle Elizabeth Boa; 5. Kafka's short fiction Ruth V. Gross; 6. Kafka's later stories and aphorisms Stanley Corngold; 7. The letters and diaries Julian Preece; 8. The case for a political reading Bill Dodd; 9. Kafka and Jewish folklore Iris Bruce; 10. Kafka and gender Dagmar C. G. Lorenz; 11. Myths and realities in Kafka biography Anthony Northey; 12. Editions, translations, adaptations Osman Durrani; 13. Kafka adapted to film Helen Hughes and Martin Brady; 14. Kafka and popular culture Iris Bruce; Index.
Reviews
'… provides a valuable overview of varied aspects of Kafka's works, including a relevant up-to-date bibliography at the end of each essay.' Poetics Today
'The Cambridge Companion series is renowned for its well-researched and accessible studies, and this is no exception. … The inclusion of such a wide range of material in this volume makes it an ideal introduction to Kafka's work. The material is presented lucidly, and each contribution takes into account previous reception as well as presenting new readings and interpretations. The volume also benefits from English translations throughout, thus serving an interdisciplinary as well as a Germanist readership.' MLR
Printer friendly version
Email a colleague