Kafka and Jesus
GRST 264
Spring 2009 not offered
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| Crosslisting:
COL 285, GELT 264 |
One of the most interesting developments in Kafka scholarship of the last two decades has been the impulse to contextualize his work, to demonstrate its connections to the literary and cultural environment from which it sprang. In this course, we will investigate critically what might be called the Jewish subtext of Kafka's work. While due attention will be given to studies that have emphasized analogies between his work and that of the Kabbalah and other Jewish mystical traditions, we will also consider the startling evidence in his work of an implicit synthesis of Jewish and Christian traditions. A focus of the course will in fact be Kafka's interest in the figure of Jesus, who was, after all, not only the Christian messiah but also a bachelor, a storyteller, and a Jew in crisis. The basic texts will comprise two of the three major novels, several stories, including those that may be read as artist narratives, and the diaries and letters. |
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Essential Capabilities:
None |
| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA GRST |
| Course Format: Lecture / Discussion | Grading Mode: Student Option |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Major Requirement for: None |
Major Readings:
Franz Kafka, THE TRIAL; THE CASTLE; THE JUDGMENT; THE METAMORPHOSIS; IN THE PENAL COLONY; A REPORT TO AN ACADEMY; JOSEPHINE THE SINGER; LETTER TO HIS FATHER; LETTERS TO FELICE; THE DIARIES
Gerhart Hauptmann, THE FOOL IN CHRIST
Mark Anderson, KAFKA'S CLOTHES
Sander L. Gilman, KAFKA THE JEWISH PATIENT
Reiner Stach, KAFKA, THE DECISIVE YEARS
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Examinations and Assignments:
One short paper, one exam, one research paper. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
Class attendance and active participation are essential. |
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