Kafka and the Universal

Bibliographic Data

ID6553682
EditorsArthur Cools (0000-0001-6531-4500), Vivian Liska (0000-0003-0085-6303)
Year2016
Pages333
Publication date2016-01-01
Open AccessNo
TypeBOOK
VenueKafka and the Universal (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherDe Gruyter (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1515/9783110458114
OpenAlexW2480662883
Open LibraryOL29302624M, OL37271825M
ISBN9783110455328, 9783110458114
LanguageEN
References cited13

Kafka’s work has been attributed a universal significance and is often regarded as the ultimate witness of the human condition in the twentieth century. Yet his work is also considered paradigmatic for the expression of the singular that cannot be subsumed under any generalization. This paradox engenders questions not only concerning the meaning of the universal as it manifests itself in (and is transformed by) Kafka’s writings but also about the expression of the singular in literary fiction as it challenges the opposition between the universal and the singular. The contributions in this volume approach these questions from a variety of perspectives. They are structured according to the following issues: ambiguity as a tool of deconstructing the pre-established philosophical meanings of the universal; the concept of the law as a major symbol for the universal meaning of Kafka’s writings; the presence of animals in Kafka’s texts; the modernist mode of writing as challenge of philosophical concepts of the universal; and the meaning and relevance of the universal in contemporary Kafka reception. This volume examines central aspects of the interplay between philosophy and literature

Political science · Franz Kafka Literary Studies · Philosophy · 1883-1924 · Franz Kafka (1883-1924) · Kafka, Franz

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