The lecture was very informative. One thing that throws me off thought is the term modernism. For me that evokes ideas of more recent times. I suppose given the timeframe of these works and the industrialization happening everywhere around the world it definitely could be seen as modern back then though. The background information about Kafka really puts the story into context. It also makes the suffering that Gregor goes through much more real as we relate it to Kafka's experience. The parallels between the two are uncanny, and that made me feel like (thinking about it after lecture) I really got a glimpse in to what Kafka was going through while he was dying of Tuberculosis. I'm glad that I know that now though, because it gives me a much stronger emotional attachment to the book. This was definitely a great choice, and I'm glad I own it now.
In the discussions that I was in, we elaborated on the connection between Kafka and Gregor. The role of a person in a family unit was also something that I considered as we talked about the differences between Gregor's family and a modern family. That makes Gregor's dedication to his family at his own expense a little bit easier to swallow. Still, I would have like to have seen Gregor attempt more communication, possibly an escape attempt. He let himself get dehumanized, mostly it seemed because he didn't want to burden him. Thinking about this from the mind of Kafka, the sadness of the story (in relation to Kafka's death) is so much more genuine. That was my favorite part of this book. It's one of the most original stories I've read. The only question I have, which is unanswerable, is why did Franz Kafka want his unpublished works to be destroyed? I think I'm going to pick up one of those that he chose not to be published, that would be an interesting read.
burden them* (second paragraph)
ReplyDeleteThe term modernism doesn't do a good job of representing what it actually means. It has more to do with a breaking from traditional works and ideas than keeping up with the times. I think it's important to point out that the labels we put on specific eras or art forms are typically coined after the era has ended. That is why Kafka may be the father of existentialism, but we still consider his work to be modernist.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way about how Gregor went about his business after his transformation. It would have been very satisfying to see him make a stronger effort to communicate with his family and ask/plead for help. Kafka didn't seem to want to write a satisfying novel however; his attempts at creating something disturbing and confusing, as well as experimental, were very successful.
Also, isn't it a ridiculous coincidence that Kafka wrote this book, which parallels his own life and death, before he knew what his fate would be or how it would come about? I think it goes beyond coincidence.
Becky is right above about Modernism. It's not "modern" necessarily by our standards, but keep in mind that in the lecture I was referring to a particularly literary period prevalent in Western art and literature. And, yes, as Becky mentioned, Modernist works often "break from traditional words and ideas."
ReplyDeleteI think Kafka didn't want his work to be published after his death because, I think on some level, he was ashamed of it. Many artists only want people to see the BEST that they can do; that's why they only unveil their work to others when it was finished. So Kafka was likely embarassed about his unfinished pieces.