Investigating Franz Kafka's “Der Bau”: Towards an Understanding of His Late Narrative in a Jewish Context

Andrea Newsom Ebarb

Published by De Gruyter Oldenbourg 2023

Investigating Franz Kafka's “Der Bau”

Towards an Understanding of His Late Narrative in a Jewish Context

Andrea Newsom Ebarb

Volume 98 in the series Conditio Judaica

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111058177

Overview
Contents

About this book

In 2016, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that Max Brod’s posthumous papers which included a collection of Kafka’s manuscripts be transferred to the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem. If Kafka’s writings may be seen to belong to Jewish national culture and if they may be considered part of Israel’s heritage, then their analysis within a Jewish framework should be both viable and valuable. This volume is dedicated to the research of Franz Kafka’s late narrative “The Burrow” and its autobiographical and theological significance. Research is extended to incorporate many fields of study (architecture, sound studies, philosophy, cultural studies, Jewish studies, literary studies) to illustrate the dynamics at work within the text which reveal the Jewish aspects implicitly thematicized. Examination of the structure created, the nature of sound perceived, the atmosphere experienced and the acts performed by the protagonist serve as the foundation of this analysis and offer new access to Kafka’s work by presenting an interpretive, space-semantic approach. “Der Bau” is presented as a life concept given the task of constituting identity, highlighting the critical link between the literary and biographical Kafka and demonstrating the necessity of understanding the author as a Jewish writer to understand his late narrative.

For her outstanding research project, Andrea Newsom Ebarb was awarded the “Forschungsförderpreis der Vereinigung der Freunde der Universität Mainz e.V.” in 2023.

Author / Editor information

Andrea Newsom Ebarb, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	I
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	VII
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	IX
Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
1 Seeing the burrow Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	8
2 Hearing the burrow Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	34
3 Experiencing the burrow Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	72
4 Typifying the burrow Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	121
5 Understanding »Der Bau« Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	183
Conclusion Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	239
Abbreviations Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	249
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	251
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	263

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: De Gruyter Oldenbourg
Audience: Scholars in the fields of literary studies, Jewish studies, cultural studies, philosophy, sound studies, and architecture.
Pages
- Front matter: 10
- Main content: 266
Illustrations
- Tables: 1
Keywords: Critical theory; Judaism; Kafka; The Burrow

eBook

Published: April 27, 2023
ISBN: 9783111058177

Hardcover

Published: April 27, 2023
ISBN: 9783111057798