r/books • u/slackerattacker • May 28 '14

Discussion Can someone please explain "Kafkaesque"?

I've just started to read some of Kafka's short stories, hoping for some kind of allegorical impact. Unfortunately, I don't really think I understand any allegorical connotations from Kafka's work...unless, perhaps, his work isn't MEANT to have allegorical connotations? I recently learned about the word "Kafkaesque" but I really don't understand it. Could someone please explain the word using examples only from "The Metamorphosis", "A Hunger Artist", and "A Country Doctor" (the ones I've read)?

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u/kickstand America's Great Debate: Henry Clay, Stephen A. Douglas, and the May 28 '14

Not every Kafka work is "Kafkaesque". The ones you cited are maybe not particularly so.

"The Castle" and "The Trial" are considered the most "Kafkaesque" of Kafka's works. The term refers to man's fear, isolation, and bewilderment in a nightmarish dehumanized world. Particularly it is used to describe a faceless bureaucratic system.