FRANZ KAFKA1883-1924

EARLY YEARS Born in the middle class His whole family was Jewish Eldest of 6 children He was a shy kid

ADULT YEARS Admitted to Charles Ferdinand

University of Prague: first studied chemistry but, after two weeks, switched to law.

Met Felice Bauer and was engaged to her twice but their relationship ended in 1917.

Came down with tuberculosis

WRITING HIGHLIGHTS Moved to Berlin to focus on writing. His friend, Max Brod, published many of

his works posthumously (after he died). Best selling story was finished in 1912

and was called the “The Metamorphosis”.

HISTORICAL/CULTURAL CONTEXT “THE TRIAL”

Kafka wrote “The Trial” in 1914 and 1915 about a poor man who is suddenly arrested and has no power or say in any of it.

This shows how, in this time period, if you were poor or not well known then you had no say in what went on in society.

“The Trial” was written around the WWI era and Kafka makes his story mysterious, dark, and gloomy.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM “THE TRIAL” Mostly in chapter 9, “The Trial” can be and is

read as religious allegory mainly because it’s setting is in a cathedral but the prison chaplain gives a speech on the legal system instead.

From the beginning, Josef K. thinks of the world as his stage. He even thinks that his arrest may just be a joke being played on him by his colleagues at the bank and makes the arrest more dramatic when describing it to Fraulein Burstner.

HISTORICAL/CULTURAL CONTEXT (LOVE LETTER)

Kafka wrote Felice Bauer love letters expressing how he felt about her.

He met her through a friend and she seemed wonderful to him.

Kafka was more of the romantic type when it involved women which shows through in this piece.

SUMMARY OF THE LOVE LETTER Franz Kafka is expressing his love for Felice. He asks her to only write him once a week

because her daily letters are overwhelming because his health is fading.

He says that he foresees not even being able to endure writing her once a week because of his sickness.

He also says that if his sickness was curable there would be no reason for him to ask of this favor.

HYPERBOLE Definition: the use of exaggeration as a

rhetorical device or figure of speech. Examples: “I’ve told you a million

times.” or “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.”

Illustration in the Letter: “My heart beats through my entire and it is conscious only for you.”

IMAGERY Definition: use of figurative language to

represent objects, actions and ideas in such a way that it appeals to our physical senses.

Examples: “It was dark and dim in the forest.” or “He whiffed the aroma of brewed coffee.”

Illustration in the Letter: “And how horribly I torment you, and how I compel you, in the stillness of your room, to read this letter, as nasty a letter as has ever lain on your desk!”

IDEALISM Definition: The practice of forming or

pursuing ideals, especially unrealistic. Examples: Utopian society Illustration in the Love Letter: Kafka is

stating that he is sick so that is why they cant be together. And since they are sending letters back and forth that means there is some distance between them so it cant work out.

LOVE/HATE IN THE LOVE LETTER He loves Felice and says that he

belongs to her, no one else, and nothing can change that.

Kafka hates his sickness because it is keeping him from Felice. He feels hatred toward the fact that there is no cure for tuberculosis.

NEW KNOWLEDGE Two of his brothers died

when they were infants so he was the only boy after that.

Learned German as his first language but was also fluent in Czech.

Most of his work wasn’t published until after his death.

NEW KNOWLEDGE Developed an intense relationship with

Milena Jesenska in the 1920s. Briefly moved to Berlin in 1923 to get

away from his family’s influence and to concentrate on his writing.