Written by: Pratik Kharel - 21131, Grade XII
Posted on: 18 November, 2020
Franz Kafka was a Czech-born German-language writer whose surreal fiction vividly expressed the anxiety, alienation, and powerlessness of the individual in the 20th century. Kafka's work is characterized by nightmarish settings in which characters are crushed by nonsensical, blind authority. Kafkaesque comes from the name of author Franz Kafka, who lived from the 1883 to 1924.
The term “Kafkaesque” is used to describe concepts and situations reminiscent of his work, particularly Der Process (The Trial) and Die Verwandlung (The Metamorphosis).Thus, the word Kafkaesque is mostly applied to bizarre and impersonal administrative occurrences where the individual feels powerless to understand or control what is happening around his life. Innumerous films and television works have been described as Kafkaesque and the pattern is particularly eminent in dystopian science fiction. Characters in a Kafkaesque setting often lack a clear course of action to escape a labyrinthine situation. Kafkaesque elements often appear in existential works, but the term has transcended the literary realm to apply to real-life occurrences and situations that are incomprehensibly complex, bizarre, or illogical. Examples include instances in which bureaucracies overpower people, often in a surreal, nightmarish milieu which evokes feelings of senselessness, disorientation, and helplessness. You are in a Kafkaesque situation in which they say, "We believe you are a threat, but we won't tell you why you are a threat."
Hence, it can be used to describe any situation or literature that resembles his work, which often involves characters navigating bizarre bureaucracies (unnecessarily complicated government systems full of confusing and contradictory procedures and paperwork). People began tossing it off to describe rather harmless situations, such as racing out the door to catch a bus, then discovering the bus drivers were striking that day. The word is misused and changed with scenarios it often doesn’t relate to. This is one of the greatest works by Franz Kafka
References: www.wikipedia.com
www.guardian.com
www.merriam-webster.com
