1 / 24

Franz Kafka

Franz Kafka. His life His work His “issues”. Early Life. Born July 3, 1883 Born into a Jewish family in Prague. Early life. Named for Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary Middle class family Father had a dry goods store

salene
Download Presentation

Franz Kafka

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Franz Kafka His life His work His “issues”

  2. Early Life • Born July 3, 1883 • Born into a Jewish family in Prague

  3. Early life • Named for Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary • Middle class family • Father had a dry goods store • Mother from wealthier family (family involved in merchant and brewing businesses)

  4. Kafka’s parents

  5. Family Life • Had 2 male siblings - both died around the age of 1 • Had 3 sisters • Children raised by governesses (common in middle and upper class families) • Family moved around based on financial situation

  6. Franz as a child

  7. Kafka with his sisters

  8. Kafka’s personality • Quiet and withdrawn • Wrote plays for sisters to act out • Feared father • Stuttered only in his presence

  9. Education • Attended German schools • Father felt he could “get ahead” • Studied chem for two weeks in college; switched to law • Met Max Brod in college • A writer; became good friends • 1906 - earned Doctorate in Law

  10. Career • Worked as civil service lawyer • Investigated claims at Workers Accident Insurance Institute • Traveled to Paris, Italy, Switzerland with Brod • Became interested in Yiddish theatre • 1911 - father made him take over family asbestos factory • Long hours almost drove him to suicide

  11. Interesting facts • Looked very young • At 28, some thought he was only 15 or 16 • Father thought he was strange/eccentric • Quiet • Vegetarian

  12. Relationships • During college, had many one-night stands • Was both attracted to and repulsed by sex • Hated the idea of bodily functions • 1912 - met Felice Bauer - fell in love • Wrote letters to her for years • Proposed in same letter in which he explained why he’d be bad for her • Engaged twice

  13. Franz and Felice

  14. Relationships • The Women: Felice, Grete, Gerti, Milena, Dora • Never married • Lived at home with parents for most of his life

  15. Writing • Insomniac - used nights to write fiction • Won writing prize in 1915 • Works published during his life: • 1912 - Meditation • 1915 - The Metamorphosis • 1916 - “The Judgment” • 1919 - “In the Penal Colony” • 1920 - “A Country Doctor”

  16. Writing • Asked literary executor (friend Max Brod) to burn manuscripts of his novels • Brod refused • Published Posthumously: • Amerika • The Trial • The Castle (unfinished)

  17. Writing • Believed a book should be “an axe to break up the frozen sea within us” • Used writing to survive despair from father, job • “By scribbling I run ahead of myself in order to catch myself up at the finishing post. I cannot run away from myself.”

  18. Writing • Greatest literary influence - Gustave Flaubert (Madame Bovary) • Some say magical realism in writing began with Kafka • The Metamorphosis influenced Gabriel Garcia Marquez • Modernism, Existentialism

  19. The Metamorphosis • Themes of alienation and punishment • Characterized as fantasy and nightmare • Inspired by his life? • Protagonist • Gregor Samsa • Pronounced Zamza • Samsa translates to “I am alone.”

  20. The Metamorphosis • Cover illustration • Kafka did not want Gregor’s “transformed” state depicted on the cover • Why do you think Kafka felt this way? • Wrote to his publisher with other suggestions • Including doors, darkness, and light • Yay for symbolism!

  21. Cover Illustrations • As you can see, many covers honor Kafka’s wishes; however, some more recent editions do not.

  22. Later years & Death • Thought about going to war in WWI • 1917 - started coughing up blood - diagnosed with tuberculosis • Died in 1924 - cause of death thought to be starvation - difficult for him to eat because of condition of throat

  23. Family • Parents died in 1930s • Buried in same plot as Franz • Sisters killed in the gas chambers in WWII

  24. Czech hero • Statues, monuments, buildings, postage stamps

More Related