A life of metamorphosis: Franz Kafka and the Jewish tradition

The aim of this thesis is to place Kafka's texts within the Jewish narrative tradition and to relate his discourse to specific modes of rabbinic interpretation. The dissertation is divided into two parts. In Part A, the emphasis is on the ideological biases in Kafka scholarship before and after World War II. In addition, four categories of rabbinic exegesis are introduced (from Walter Benjamin's essays on Kafka and his exchange of ideas with Gershom Scholem), which constitute main points of reference. Part A further includes an extensive biographical/historical overview of Kafka's contact to Judaism and his knowledge of the Jewish tradition.; Part B places Kafka's writing within the framework of rabbinic interpretation (Midrash-Aggadah). The central idea is the concept of metamorphosis, on the thematic level as well as on the formal level of Kafka's narrative discourse. After presenting different forms and functions of the metamorphosis motif in Jewish literature, as well as Kafka's earliest treatments of metamorphosis, the analysis moves to Kafka's longer works. In Die Verwandlung metamorphosis is seen as a metaphor for a cycle of transgression, punishment, exile and redemption. Der Verschollene presents the notion of exile as an external as well as an internal form of spiritual displacement. Schakale und Araber and Ein Bericht fur eine Akademie are discussed as Zionist satires of Jewish history and assimilation. Forschungen eines Hundes is a story about rebellion against Tradition. Finally, Kafka's narrative discourse is regarded as a "discourse of survival": Das Tier in der Synagoge is seen as a linguistic exercise in survival and Das Schweigen der Sirenen illustrates the use of midrashic weapons against logocentric Western modes of thought. Through this analysis certain theoretical implications of midrashic narrative technique are seen to challenge the notion of narrative authority.; By linking Kafka's writing to the Jewish narrative tradition, it is possible to elucidate the question of Kafka's "modernity." The thesis demonstrates that Kafka is less "modern" than is generally assumed, both in his philosophical perspective and in the discursive forms which he uses.