Crisis and Meaning: F. Kafka and the Law

The parable Before the Law is a pivotal text in the work of Franz Kafka. It tells of a man who looks for the Law as the quintessence of his life. But his quest for meaning comes to a crisis because of a fundamental deception. Instead of interpreting the Law as a personal mystery, he somehow objectifies it. His abstract view on life begets the obstacle-character that embodies all those who could bar him from finding the law. In this narrative, the failure of finding the Law results in a murder in which human life is reduced to bestial death. In this sense, Kafka’s narrative is a tale of anti-creation. In a close reading we analyze the text with attention for the ternary structure, i.e. the intertwined complex of the I-Thou relation and the I-It relation (Buber). The literary text is interpreted for its philosophical relevance. Rosenzweig and Levinas but also Deleuze and Derrida have an important role in this way of reading.

Publication year:2017

Accessibility:Open