A Postcolonial Critique of Kafka's 'Metamorphosis'

"Literary Theory Week" has come to an end!  In my English 2600 class taught by Professor Albrecht-Crane at UVU, we began by reading the short story "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka.  Then we applied every theory we discussed (one a week) to that short story.  Here is my final paper, this one on postcolonial theory:

Resisting the inclination to universalize literature and thus ignore the cultural differences in the human experience—like a liberal humanist would—postcolonial criticism recognizes the biased Eurocentric views being promoted in this attempt at “universalism.”  In discussing postcolonial criticism more fully, I will begin by summarizing this approach as explained by Peter Barry in the third edition of his book Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory.  After this summary, I will apply these ideas practically to Franz Kafka’s short story “The Metamorphosis.”

According to Barry, postcolonial criticism traces back to a psychiatrist named Frantz Fanon who published a book called The Wretched of the Earth in 1961(186).  In the book, Fanon voices “cultural resistance” to France’s empire in Africa and, as Barry states it, argues that the colonized must find their voice and “reclaim their own past” from the colonizer (186).  Edward Said, author of Orientalism and Culture and Imperialism, has much to say about the colonizer, and as Barry paraphrases, Europeans have a “long-standing way of identifying the East as ‘Other’ and inferior to the West” (186).  Barry summarizes them both: “If the first step towards a postcolonial perspective is to reclaim one’s own past, then the second is to begin to erode the colonialist ideology by which that past had been devalued” (186). 

This idea that the East is somehow inferior to the West fits perfectly into the first of four characteristics of postcolonial criticism that Barry identifies (187).  According to Barry, the culture of the non-European is seen as “exotic or immoral,” and the postcolonial writer will try to evoke a “precolonial version of their own nation” to try to go back to their roots (187).  The second characteristic Barry sets forth involves the colonizer’s language and how it is imposed on the colonized (188).  Barry expounds by saying, “This linguistic difference amounts to a sense that the linguistic furniture belongs to somebody else, and therefore shouldn’t be moved around without permission” (188).  The language of the colonizer seems foreign and tainted.

The third characteristic in postcolonial writing, as Barry puts it, is one of “hybrid identity” where the colonized begins to identify with the colonizer in certain ways while still maintaining a close connection to his or her own roots (188).  “This stress on ‘cross-cultural’ interactions,” as Barry writes, “is a fourth characteristic of postcolonialist criticism” (188).  The colonized first adopts the ways of the colonizer, then adapts them to form his or her style, and then finally becomes truly adept.

When analyzing “The Metamorphosis,” one can easily see Gregor as the colonized while his family is the colonizer.  Kafka writes, “But their little exchange had made the rest of the family aware that, contrary to expectations, Gregor was still in the house” (5).  The use of the word “exchange” seems to imply the act of their colonizing and despite what the family wants, Gregor won’t leave the house which he himself purchased.  And like most colonizers, the colonized is seen as unwanted and doesn’t seem to live up to expectations.

In fact, Gregor doesn’t seem capable of commanding the language of his colonizers.  The words coming out of his mouth seem “garbled” (Kafka 5) and the manager asks the family, “Did you understand a word?” (Kafka 10).  Nobody does.  No matter how hard Gregor tries to communicate, his family never understands him.  They continue to see him as the “exotic and immoral ‘Other’” that Barry writes about.  To them he’s “vermin” (Kafka 3) and they simply cannot understand the way he eats or the way he lives, holed up in his room crawling around on the ceilings.  Here the colonized is clearly seen as inferior to the colonizers, and they want nothing to do with him.

Postcolonial criticism is an unforgiving critique of the effects of European colonialism.  The way many of us, as Westerners, see the world is obviously tainted and it is important that we recognize that.  We must strive to understand the view of the colonized, realize that all cultures have value and try to “erode the colonialist ideology” as Fanon and Said would have us do.

Works Cited

Barry, Peter. Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory. 3rd Ed. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 2009. Print. 

Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis. Trans. and ed. Stanley Corngold. New York: W.W. Norton, 1996. Print.

A New Historicist Critique of Kafka's 'Metamorphosis'

"Literary Theory Week" is almost through... so be happy (or sad).  In my English 2600 class taught by Professor Albrecht-Crane at UVU, we began by reading the short story "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka.  Then we applied every theory we discussed (one a week) to that short story.  This one is a bit different because instead of applying the approach to the story ourselves, we instead discussed an essay written by another scholar.  Here is my paper on the theory of New Historicism:

While many literary critics might consider the historical context of a piece, none do history in the manner that a new historicist would.  New historicism argues that history itself is unattainable, leaving behind solely the written text from that day.  Therefore, the historicist approach would be to put literary and non-literary texts into a dialogue.  I will first summarize this philosophy of new historicism as explained by Peter Barry in the third edition of his book Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory.  After this summary of new historicism, I will discuss an essay by Iris Bruce to demonstrate how this method is used in critiquing Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” alongside various Jewish folktales.

While a historical reading focuses on actual events in history, Barry explains that new historicism believes that history itself is “irrecoverably lost,” therefore all we have to work with are textual traces of the event (168).  In regards to the notion that words are separate from the thing they represent—or in this case, historical texts are separate from history itself—Barry argues that new historcism is essentially poststructuralist in theory (169).  In fact, Barry informs us that new historicism embraces Derrida’s view that the text is “thrice-processed”:  first through the ideologies of its own time, then through the ideologies of our own and finally processed through language itself (169).  It is clear that “historical” and “historicist” are not the same thing.

To further explain new historicism, Barry writes, “A simple definition of the new historicism is that it is a method based on the parallel reading of literary and non-literary texts, usually of the same historical period” (166).  The term “parallel,” as used by Barry, implies that the non-literary texts are given the same importance as the literary text (166).  For example, rather than mentioning a few historical aspects to better support a discussion of a literary text like “The Metamorphosis”—and thus clearly favoring “The Metamorphosis” over the other texts—new historicism would consider the non-literary texts not merely supporting players but stars of the show in their own right.  Rather than simply being “context,” Barry suggests that the historical documents be considered “co-texts” along with the so-called literary canon (167).

To better illustrate the theory of new historicism, I would like to discuss an essay written by Iris Bruce which is included in the Norton Critical Edition of “The Metamorphosis” by the editor Stanley Corngold.  In Bruce’s opening paragraph, she writes, “Kafka was familiar with the metamorphosis motif from Jewish literature.  In the following discussion of The Metamorphosis, I will highlight intertexts from the Jewish narrative tradition” (107).  Here Bruce clearly states her objective and it is very definitely a new historicist approach.  She isn’t privileging Kafka’s work, but instead highlighting or giving attention to the intertexts—or as Barry would call them, co-texts—of non-literary writing.  Bruce also makes it a point to say “narrative tradition,” and not just refer to Jewish tradition as such but rather the narration or textual evidence of the Jewish tradition.  Such a move is poststructuralist and highly indicative of the theory of new historicism.

The body of her essay discusses four different aspects of the theme of metamorphosis found in the writings of Jewish folklore also found in Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis.”  Once again, in relating these four aspects—humorous, punishment for transgression, exile and liberation/atonement—she refers to various folktales just as frequently as she mentions specific passages in Kafka’s work, giving all the texts equal weight.  For example, when discussing the humorous take on the idea of metamorphosis, Bruce begins by quoting an amusing Yiddish story by A. B. Gotlober about a man who transforms into a horse, fish, donkey, leech, dog and finally a pig with an “unkosher snout” (112).  This is the main topic of discussion for two pages before ever mentioning Kafka’s story.  And even then Bruce quickly switches to another text by Mendele Moicher-Sforim (115).  Her focus on “textual history” as Barry called it and the equal treatment she gives all of her sources are the perfect example of what new historicism does to history.

So while other approaches bring up historical references solely for the purpose of building up the primary literary text, new historicism is an approach that gives equal value to both literary and non-literary texts and recognizes that written historical documents are not the same thing as the historical event itself.  This focus on language as written places new historicism firmly within the realm of post-structuralism, with the focus of seeing text in a whole new light.

Works Cited

Barry, Peter. Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory. 3rd Ed. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 2009. Print. 

Bruce, Iris.  “Elements of Jewish Folklore in Kafka’s Metamorphosis.”  The Metamorphosis.  Trans. and ed. Stanley Corngold.  New York: W.W. Norton, 1996.  107-125. Print.

Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis. Trans. and ed. Stanley Corngold. New York: W.W. Norton, 1996. Print.

A Marxist Critique of Kafka's 'Metamorphosis'

What's that?  Can't get enough of "Literary Theory Week"?  Well, I got more for you!  In my English 2600 class taught by Professor Albrecht-Crane at UVU, we began by reading the short story "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka.  Then we applied every theory we discussed (one a week) to that short story.  Here is my paper on Marxist theory:

Marxism—as developed by the German philosopher Karl Marx in the 1800s—is a materialist philosophy which seeks to bring about a classless society.  In regards to literary theory, a Marxist critic aims to identify both the overt and covert Marxist themes present in a text.   I will first explain the philosophy of Marxism as explained by Peter Barry in the third edition of his book Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory.  After this summary of Marxism, I will approach the text of Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” as if I were a Marxist critic.

According to Barry, Marxism believes that the individual is naturally a producer, meaning that it is within our human nature to make things with our own hands (151).  Unfortunately in a wage system, as explained by Barry, the individual works for someone else; their hard work isn’t for themselves (151).  Barry asserts that this system creates a class struggle between what is known as the proletariat and the bourgeoisie: the lower and upper class (151).  Based on Barry’s summary, the bourgeoisie owns the means of production while the proletariat receives much less than what they put in (151).  Barry argues that in this capitalist system, the worker feels a sense of alienation from the product produced and from other workers as they compete for wages (151).  The alienated worker, declares Barry, is a result of reification, or rather, the process by which workers are seen more as “assets” than they are people.  Just like a cog in the machine, people become expendable.

Building upon the ideas of Karl Marx, Barry discusses the work of a French Marxist named Louis Althusser.  Barry relates the Althusserian notion that the unspoken ideologies of a society are put upon the people through state ideological apparatuses such as political parties, churches, schools, the media and even their own families (158).  According to Barry, these ideologies seem to be “natural” or “just the way things are” when really they are being imposed upon people through social control known as hegemony (158).  Hegemony comes to pass by means of interpellation, which Barry explains as a “trick” to make people feel as if they are choosing for themselves when really they are just doing what the bourgeoisie want them to do (158).

In Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis,” this practice of interpellation is at work.  Of his career as a salesman, the character Gregor says, “Oh God, what a grueling job I’ve picked!” (Kafka 3).  Not only does this statement highlight the false notion that he is a free individual who has “picked” his job of his own free will, but it also demonstrates the alienation he feels from the work he does.  “Day in, day out,” he continues, “I’ve got the torture of traveling, worrying about changing trains, eating miserable food at all hours, constantly seeing new faces, no relationships that last or get more intimate” (Kafka 4).  He doesn’t gain any fulfillment from his job and he knows that at any moment the boss could replace him.  Kafka writes, “He was a tool of the boss, without brains or backbone” (5).  This thought that he is no more than a “tool” perfectly illustrates his reification.  The manager later makes a statement that confirms Gregor’s thoughts.  “And your job is not the most secure,” says the manager to Gregor, “your performance of late has been very unsatisfactory” (9).

Not only is Gregor expendable in the workplace, but also at home.  When Gregor was unable to go to work and provide for the family, his younger sister, Grete, stepped in to replace him.  Ironically, she gets a “job as a salesgirl” which is the same profession Gregor had taken up, making the replacement of one broken tool for a newer one even more obvious (Kafka 30).  By the end of the story, Grete is the family’s new bartering tool and they discuss ways of marrying her off (Kafka 42) because even marriage is an exchange of goods.

The obsession with class and social status in the Samsa family can best be exemplified by the father’s obsession with his uniform.  “With a kind of perverse obstinacy,” Kafka’s text reads, “his father refused to take off the official uniform even in the house” (30).  The uniform—symbolizing work—is clearly of importance.  In stark contrast, the father’s robe—a symbol of laziness—hangs “uselessly on the clothes hook” (Kafka 30).  Here we can see that one’s identity and worth is based solely on his profession.  Gregor’s problem lies in the fact that he no longer buys into the wage system of bureaucracy but instead clings to his own humanity through what his own hands have made—the frame that he so desperately tries to protect in an earlier passage (Kafka 27).  Despite all the hegemony at play here, Gregor knows that his natural state is one where he has a direct relationship with his own work.

Marxism tries to make us see what Gregor has discovered:  our capitalist society with private property and alienated laborers is not natural at all.  Instead, our class struggles are a result of ideologies controlled by society at large by means of interpellation.  Only when we as a society have returned to our natural state—one where we have direct ownership of our own productivity—can we truly be happy.  Until then, we are doomed to a fate of alienation and reification with an unhappy ending rather like Gregor’s.

Works Cited

Barry, Peter. Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory. 3rd Ed. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 2009. Print. 

Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis. Trans. and ed. Stanley Corngold. New York: W.W. Norton, 1996. Print.

A Gay/Lesbian Critique of Kafka's 'The Metamorphosis'

I've got more "Literary Theory Week" for ya!  I'm sure you are bored, but whatever... this is my blog.  In my English 2600 class taught by Professor Albrecht-Crane at UVU, we began by reading the short story "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka.  Then we applied every theory we discussed (one a week) to that short story.  Here is my paper on gay/lesbian theory:

Although homosexuality has always existed amongst humans, the term “homosexual” wasn’t ever used until 1869 and the emergence of gay and lesbian literary theory—or “queer theory”—as a respected field didn’t come about until the 1990s.  As one of the newest approaches to the study of literature, gay/lesbian theory is arguably one of the most fascinating.  In this paper, I will first give a summary of what is lesbian theory and it’s relation to feminism before going into the branch known as queer theory.  I will base my comments on the book Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory by Peter Barry.  After this summary, I will illustrate gay/lesbian theory with the short story “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka.

           

Barry, in the third edition of his book, begins by explaining the seemingly obvious:  “Lesbian/gay criticism is not of exclusive interest to gays and lesbians” (134).  And just as one needn’t be gay to study it, Barry clarifies that “books about gay writers, or by gay critics, are not necessarily part of lesbian and gay studies” (134).  Thus a story such as “The Metamorphosis,” written by a heterosexual male without obvious gay characters, can still be treated under the gay/lesbian approach which we will address later.

           

Gay/lesbian criticism—much like feminism—isn’t a completely unified field.  Barry speaks of two major emphases, the first one being an offshoot of feminism itself.  Lesbian feminists, according to Barry, find that feminism has become too institutionalized and focuses solely on middle-class heterosexual women—excluding lesbians (135).  Lesbian feminists, as succinctly stated by Barry, hope to overturn this heterosexism (136).  Barry claims the conflict between heterosexual feminists and lesbians was somewhat defused with an essay by a lesbian feminist named Adrienne Rich (136).  Rich, as explained by Barry, developed the idea of a “lesbian continuum” which suggests that all female relationships—ranging from friendships to sexual relationships—can be seen as a kind of lesbianism (137).  This somehow desexualizes lesbianism and makes it more a matter of allegiance.

           

While some lesbians identify themselves more with other women, some make allegiances with gay men and thus we see the emergence of “queer theory.”  As Barry points out in his book, queer theory is similar to post-structuralism in its manner of deconstructing binary concepts, in this case the concepts of heterosexual/homosexual (138).  Binary pairs tend to favor one over the other—alluding to the same heterosexism lesbian feminists fought to eliminate—and as Barry informs us, queer theory aims to deconstruct these notions (139).  Along with this is the focus on deconstructing sexual identity as a whole.  Barry quotes from one of the central contemporary queer theorists Judith Butler who argues that sexual identity is not inherent or essential, but rather a social construct, saying, “[Identities are] a kind of impersonation and approximation… a kind of imitation for which there is no original” (139).  Another queer theorist, Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, adds that our identity is “fluid” and changes focus in different social situations (Barry 140).  So “identity” is really just a series of masks and roles that are all contingent and improvisatory, and “homosexuality” is just one part of a complex system of other non-inherent factors.

           

In order to better understand gay/lesbian theory in regards to identity, I would like to use passages from Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” as examples.  The character of Gregor is caught in what queer theorists would call a “liminal” state, meaning he is between identities.  He doesn’t know how to see himself, and his family looks at him differently now too.  He used to identify himself as a salesman, a man and a provider, but all of that was unstable.   On page 7 of the text, Gregor notes that there is a “fog” outside his window and he sits waiting for “the return of things to the way they really and naturally were” (Kafka 7).  The fog can be seen as a metaphor of his liminal state and it is clear that he hopes for things to go “back to normal” as they say, meaning that he hopes he can once again identify himself as society would see fitting.

But it is clear to Gregor that he is undergoing some kind of change, and he worries how others will react.  In fact, as he makes the decision to come out of his room for the first time, there is a strong resemblance to a closeted homosexual making the decision to “come out of the closet.”  The text reads, “He actually intended to open the door, actually present himself…  he was eager to find out what the others, who were now so anxious to see him, would say at the sight of him.  If they were shocked, then Gregor had no further responsibility and could be calm” (Kafka 10).  Unfortunately, his family does not react well to Gregor’s “homosexuality.”

Clear signs of homophobia are present when Gregor comes out of his room.  The manager backed away slowly “as if repulsed by an invisible, unrelenting force,” the mother fell to the floor and the father “clenched his fist, as if to drive Gregor back into his room” (Kafka 12).  In fact, almost every time Gregor comes out of his room, the father does his best to get Gregor back inside.  In one particularly horrible scene, Gregor’s father throws an apple at his son (Kafka 29).  The apple can be seen as an “identity” or “name” thrust upon Gregor.  At first the apple is “thrown weakly” and does not harm Gregor, “but the very next one that came flying after it literally forced its way into Gregor’s back” (Kafka 29).  Once the “identity” has been forced upon him, Gregor feels “nailed to the spot… in a complete confusion of all his senses” (Kafka 29).  This illustrates Gregor’s distaste for identity labels and his own desire to stay in the liminal state forever, which ultimately cannot be done.  Non-identity is unstable and his freedom is ultimately his condemnation.

As Peter Barry was so quick to point out, gay/lesbian theory affects people of all sexual orientations, genders and identities.  The idea that all identities—whether they are “homosexual” or otherwise—are nonessential and completely based on societal expectations has widespread implications.  Gay/lesbian theory argues that there is so much more to the human condition than the labels we choose to identify with and our sexual acts are just one small part of our multifaceted existence. 

Works Cited

Barry, Peter. Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory. 3rd Ed. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 2009. Print. 

Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis. Trans. and ed. Stanley Corngold. New York: W.W. Norton, 1996. Print.

A Feminist Critique of Kafka's 'Metamorphosis'

More "Literary Theory Week!"  Woohoo!  In my English 2600 class taught by Professor Albrecht-Crane at UVU, we began by reading the short story "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka.  Then we applied every theory we discussed (one a week) to that short story.  Here is my paper on feminism:

Feminism, simply stated, is a movement for the social and political rights of women.  However, feminism in regards to literary theory is far from simple to explain, with many contentious debates sprouting up within feminism itself.  In order to fully understand the many aspects of feminism—or as my professor likes to say, “feminisms”—I will first discuss three areas where the feminist viewpoints clash according to the book Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory by Peter Barry.  After this summary, I will illustrate the feminist approach by applying some of the theories to the short story “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka.

           

Barry, in the third edition of his book, suggests that the debates in contemporary feminism center around three areas:  the role of theory, the role of language and the role of psychoanalysis.  Beginning with the role of theory, Barry explains that there exist Anglo-American feminists and French feminists (119-120).   Anglo-American feminists, as Barry points out, tend to be more akin to the liberal humanists we’ve discussed already in this class with the more universal belief that the text reflects the experiences of real-life women (119).  In contrast to this, Barry relates French feminists to post-structuralists who believe that the text does not represent reality and who also lean towards psychoanalysis in their theories (120).  Feminists cannot agree amongst themselves how theory plays a part in feminism.

           

The second point of contention that Barry sites is the role of language—or rather, is there such a thing as female language?  Some of the French feminists (and even some of the Anglo-American feminists) believe that language itself is masculine and patriarchal, but according to Barry, they believe in the notion of écriture feminine proposed by the French theorist Hélène Cixous (122).  Yet another group of French feminists, as Barry relates, do not believe language to be based on biological sex at all, and find both symbolic and semiotic (or masculine and feminine) styles of writing to exist in the world, as proposed by Julia Kristeva (123).  These two views of language seem to be always at odds in feminist criticisms.

             

The last area of disagreement focuses on the role psychoanalysis should play in feminism.  Barry states that some feminists reject the theory of psychoanalysis completely because it was developed by Sigmund Freud whom they believe to be a sexist—which is more or less true—and his ideas only perpetuate false notions of womanhood (125).  However, Barry notes that other feminist critics find that Lacan’s teachings were much more “paralogical” or “feminine” and they do accept psychoanalysis (126).  This debate over the usefulness of psychoanalysis is highly contentious, just as the arguments regarding theory and language.

           

In order to better understand some of the many ideas voiced through feminism, I will attempt to do a feminist treatment of Franz Kafka’s short story “The Metamorphosis” based on an essay by the feminist critic Nina Pelikan Straus.  In Straus’ essay “Transforming Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis,” she takes a more Anglo-American approach when she examines the author’s biography and finds the connections between his own life and the characters he has written.  She says that Kafka himself might have had a “fantasy of a gender role change” (129), basing this idea on the fact that Kafka wrote many letters to a woman named Felice Bauer (132), writing of his own weaknesses and seeking strength from her—not unlike Gregor’s debilitating condition and need for female caregivers.  Both Kafka’s and Gregor’s actions suggest that they feel inadequate in their masculine roles and seek to live as women… but of course they can’t.

           

In other arguments, Straus seems to be more of a French feminist, breaking down the text of the story like a post-structuralist would.  She first quotes a passage from Kafka’s story—one describing Gregor’s sister Grete—and then spends the next few paragraphs analyzing the language of the passage phrase by phrase (131).  For example, Straus claims the words “defiance” and “self-confidence” suggest masculine qualities in Grete, although other words and phrases such as “childish” and “romantic enthusiasm of girls her age” suggest attributes attributed to femininity (131).  These contradictions by Kafka both sympathize with Grete and condemn her all in one breath.  Straus claims that indeterminacy like this “parallels the fissure between a male identity… and a male desire to become woman, not to possess her” (131).  Again we see the blending of gender roles.

           

Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” has quite a lot to say about gender roles, especially when viewed upon through the keen eyes of feminism.  Because of the many avenues by way of theory, language and psychoanalysis, feminism is a vibrant and ever-evolving way to critique literature.  One feminist may vary from the other, but each will utilize their tools—whether they be post-structuralist or more liberal humanistic—to confront society’s views on sex and gender. 

Works Cited

Barry, Peter. Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory. 3rd Ed. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 2009. Print. 

Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis. Trans. and ed. Stanley Corngold. New York: W.W. Norton, 1996. Print.

Straus, Nina Pelikan.  “Transforming Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis” The Metamorphosis. Trans. and ed. Stanley Corngold. New York: W.W. Norton, 1996. Print.

A Psychoanalytic Critique of Kafka’s 'Metamorphosis'

"Literary Theory Week" continues on!  Are you guys getting bored yet?  In my English 2600 class taught by Professor Albrecht-Crane at UVU, we began by reading the short story "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka.  Then we applied every theory we discussed (one a week) to that short story.  It's a great story!  Anyway, here's another A+ paper I wrote, this one on the approach known as psychoanalysis:

Psychoanalysis—as referring to therapy—studies the relationship between the conscious and unconscious portions of the brain.  When this sort of practice is applied to literature, one can discover a great deal from what is both written and unwritten in a text.  In an attempt to further examine the psychoanalytic approach to literature, I will first discuss both the beliefs of Sigmund Freud and his successor Jacques Lacan as explained by Peter Barry in his book Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory and then apply Lacan’s psychoanalytic approach to the short story “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka.

           

Barry, in the third edition of his book, informs that the theories of psychoanalysis were developed by an Austrian named Sigmund Freud at the turn of the 20^th Century (92).  According to Barry, Freud’s ideas centered around the belief in the unconscious, a part of the mind that you don’t necessarily think about—thus differing from the conscious—but which still has an effect on your actions (92).  Barry then explains some of the different terms commonly used by Freud, such as repression, sublimation and projection (92-93).  Repression is when our minds choose to forget unwanted memories, sublimation is when we turn something repressed into something outwardly better and, as Barry explains it, projection is when we can recognize our own faults in others but not in ourselves (92-93).  These various “defense mechanisms,” as Freud called them, protect us mentally from what we are not yet ready to process or deal with (Barry 94).  They also explain why we do a lot of the things we do, and in literature, this can be used to uncover the unconscious motives of characters or of the author and really find the deeper implied meaning of the story.

           

Barry then moves on from Freudian interpretation to discuss the work of a Frenchman named Jacques Lacan.  Barry insists that Lacan’s ideas differ greatly from Freud’s in the sense that Freud believed our psyche simply existed while Lacan felt that even our psyche was composed of words—language (106).  Lacan asked: “How could a psychoanalyst of today not realize that his realm of truth is in fact the word?” (Barry 106).  So like the post-structuralists already discussed in this class, Lacan’s focus is on language and how it constitutes our being in the world.

           

Barry goes on to relate Lacan’s explanation of how we move from an unconscious state—which Lacan would say is the ideal state—to a conscious one by a process involving three stages: the Imaginary, the “mirror-stage” and the Symbolic (109).  Lacan explains that the Imaginary is our most unconscious state before language sets in, where everything is unnamable (Barry 109).  When language enters the picture, Lacan calls this transitional period to the conscious realm the “mirror-stage,” like when a baby first notices his reflection—his own individual sense of self (Barry 109).  Barry elaborates that this stage is one conflicted with a sense of lack and separation because we cannot ever get back to the Imaginary (109).  The last stage, given by Lacan, is the Symbolic which is one-hundred-percent defined by language (109).  Here Lacan introduces the term “the Other” because we can no longer access the thing itself; just the word we’ve assigned to it (Barry 109).  A Lacanian critic recognizes these three stages at work in the literary text.

           

As an example, I will approach Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” from a Lacanian viewpoint.   The text of “The Metamorphosis” enacts the sense of lack and separation that comes from the loss of the Imaginary.  The world Gregor lives in is one full of rigid social constructs and language—the Symbolic—and his character yearns for the Imaginary that he can never fully regain because that is where his true individuality lies.  If the family makes up the Symbolic, the character of Gregor then must be said to dwell in the Imaginary because he clearly does not fit in with the family.  In fact, Gregor’s death on page 39 can be interpreted as the death of the Imaginary.

           

A perfect example of this irruption between the Imaginary and the Symbolic can be found on page 33 of the novella.  Lacan says that the Imaginary is unnamable because it is pre-language (Barry 109), and it’s interesting to note that Kafka makes sure never to “name” specifically what Gregor has metamorphosed into.  In fact, in the first sentence of the story Gregor wakes up to find he is a “monstrous vermin” (Kafka 3).  The only character to ever assign Gregor a name—thus putting him into the realm of the Symbolic where everything is governed by language—is the maid.  Page 33 reads:  “In the beginning she also used to call him over to her with words she probably considered friendly, like, ‘Come over here for a minute, you old dung beetle!’ or ‘Look at that old dung beetle!’”  Gregor’s response to her is key.  The text reads: “To forms of address like these Gregor would not respond but remained immobile where he was, as if the door had not been opened.”  Following Lacan, this show’s Gregor’s reluctance to inhabit the Symbolic realm, the door of which he refuses to enter.

           

Psychoanalytic criticism sheds new light on literature, finding much more meaning unconsciously lurking beneath the letters on the page.  Understanding the theories of Sigmund Freud, Jacques Lacan and other psychoanalytic pioneers can unlock quite a lot of subconscious truths found within the characters and their written stories.  This approach also makes it apparent to us, the reader, that our world—and even our very psyche—is constructed solely with words and defined entirely by language.

Works Cited

Barry, Peter. Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory. 3rd Ed. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 2009. Print. 

Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis. Trans. and ed. Stanley Corngold. New York: W.W. Norton, 1996. Print.

A Post-Structuralist Critique of Kafka's 'Metamorphosis'

"Literary Theory Week" continues.  In my English 2600 class taught by Professor Albrecht-Crane at UVU, we began by reading the short story "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka.  Then we applied every theory we discussed (one a week) to that short story.  Here is the third paper I had to write on the approach known as post-structuralism:

In contrast to the more traditional liberal humanist way of interpreting a novel which focuses on universal themes and morals seemingly implicit in the plot itself, the theory of post-structuralism—rather like structuralism—looks beyond plot and hones in on the actual structure of the language itself.  Unlike structuralism, however, post-structuralism is skeptical in finding any meaning at all, taking the ideas of structuralism one step further in revealing that if words are arbitrary, meaning itself must be also.  In an attempt to further examine the post-structuralist approach, I will first discuss some of its basic concepts as explained by Peter Barry and then apply post-structuralism to the short story “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka.

           

Barry, in the third edition of his book Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory, begins his exploration of post-structuralism by first comparing it to structuralism because the former springs directly from the latter.  Structuralism, according to Barry, is more linguistically based while post-structuralism comes from philosophy—meaning that it embraces skepticism more fully (60-61).  Barry also reflects that while structuralists write in a more abstract and scientific way, post-structuralists fixate on etymology and write more emotively (61).  Post-structuralists, as Barry has noticed, are plagued with linguistic anxiety over the fact that meaning is just as arbitrary as our verbal constructs (62).  Essentially, post-structuralism follows through with the idea set forth by structuralists to such an extent that any attempt at finding “meaning” is thrown out the window.

           

Barry continues his explanation of post-structuralism by mentioning the philosopher Derrida and sharing some of his ideas.  As Barry relays, Derrida talks about a decentered universe because there are no “fixed points” or absolutes; everything is relative (65).  With this belief, as Derrida explains, a post-structuralist will deconstruct the text and find the unconscious, hidden meanings in the etymology of words (Barry 68).  Barry gives us an example involving the word “guest” which makes us think of the related word “host” which shares the same root as the word “hostility”—showing that the word “guest” can imply a certain “hostility” (68).  These sorts of contradictions or paradoxes are, as Barry states, the aim of a post-structuralist analysis (70).  In effect, post-structuralism uses these contradictions as proof that everything we know is completely relative and based on convention.

           

If a post-structuralist were to be reading Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis,” they would say the story exposes the concepts of “human” and “animal” to be arbitrary based on the contradiction in the sentence found on page 36:  “Was he an animal, that music could move him so?”  In traditional language conventions, we associate the word “animal” with words like “uncivilized” and “lowly,” yet here the text is clearly favoring “animal” by putting it in the place where “human” would be more logical.  Aren’t humans the civilized, superior ones that appreciate music and culture?  Yet here the text reverses the polarity of the common opposites “human” and “animal,” thus destabilizing the perceived certainty of the concepts in our language.

           

Another example of this destabilization in the text can be found on page 15 when the character of the father—a human—is said to be “hissing like a wild man.”  The verb “hissing” is one that conventionally makes reference to the sound certain reptiles or insects might make, not one typically associated with the word “father.”  A post-structuralist would use this as proof that all meaning is arbitrary.  There is no real “father” or “human” or “animal.”  All of these ideas exist and function solely within our own social and linguistic constructions.

           

So while structuralism also acknowledged that words are primarily unrelated to the real world, post-structuralism, as you can see here, takes that fundamental belief to its seemingly logical conclusion:  if the language we use to construct our world is arbitrary, so meaning must be as well.  All “meaning” we think we have found is completely man-made through our own language conventions and there is absolutely no certainty of anything.

Works Cited

Barry, Peter. Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory. 3rd Ed. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 2009. Print. 

Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis. Trans. and ed. Stanley Corngold. New York: W.W. Norton, 1996. Print.

A Structuralist Critique of Kafka's 'Metamorphosis'

"Literary Theory Week" continues! In my English 2600 class taught by Professor Albrecht-Crane at UVU, we began by reading the short story "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka.  Then we applied every theory we discussed (one a week) to that short story.  Unfortunately this paper was my worst!  I got a B- on it and you will see why.  I didn't really follow through at the end.  Oh well.  Our lowest score was dropped so this paper doesn't exist!   This one is on the approach known as structuralism...

In contrast to the more traditional liberal humanist way of interpreting a novel which focuses on universal themes and morals seemingly implicit in the plot itself, the theory of structuralism looks beyond plot and hones in on the actual structure of the language itself to find meaning.  In an attempt to examine the structuralist approach, I will first discuss some of its basic concepts as explained by Peter Barry in the third edition of his book Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory and then apply a structuralist practice to the short story “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka.

Barry begins his discussion of structuralism by first quoting from the linguist Ferdinand de Saussure who gives us three fundamental pronouncements of structuralism.  The first one, as Barry reports, is that the meaning of words is arbitrary, meaning that the actual word does not relate to the idea of the object in an essential or intrinsic way (40).  Barry then states that the second point Saussure makes is that the meaning of words are relational to one another.  An example Barry uses is the word “hut.”  As Barry explains, “hut” only has meaning to us when we compare it to other words such as “shed” or “house” or “palace” (41).  The third and final view held by Saussure is that language constitutes our world, and as Barry elaborates, “Meaning is always attributed to the object or idea by the human mind, and constructed by and expressed through language: it is not already contained within the thing” (42).

           

Another expert that Barry cites is Roland Barthes, who asserts that a structuralist critic “relates the text to some larger containing structure” (48).  The structure mentioned, according to Barthes, could be the conventions of genre, a network of connections or recurrent motifs (Barry 48).  Barry also writes two other actions that Barthes claims structuralists do: they find parallels in the language structure and then they apply a concept of “systematic patterning and structuring” (48).  When finding this patterning, Barry declares that Barthes breaks down the text into smaller units of meaning called “lexies” and then categorizes them using a system of five codes (48-49). 

           

In order to demonstrate this structuralist practice, I will break down the opening sentence of Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” into lexies and assign them one by one to the five codes.  The first lexie is “When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning” (Kafka 1) which falls into both the prorairetic code because it indicates action and the semic code because it constitutes a character.  A structuralist might find the next part of the sentence “from unsettling dreams” (Kafka 1) to be a second lexie categorized as hermeneutic because the text is constructed in a way that provides narrative suspense.  We as the reader want to know more about the dream he had.  The third and final lexie in the first sentence is “he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin” (Kafka 1).  This lexie falls into the proairetic because it again indicates action, but it also uses language linked to theme and could be coded using the symbolic code.

           

The symbolic code is an interesting one, and Barry clarifies: “It consists of contrasts and pairings related to the most basic binary polarities” (50).  The third lexie comparing the character of Gregor to a monstrous vermin contains a contrast of human attributes to those of an insect.  These binary polarities in the text construct the character of Gregor as one feeling unimportant, lowly and unwanted—all words we associate with the phrase “monstrous vermin.”  Instantly we see one of the major, larger-scale themes of the entire short story created within the language of the opening sentence.

           

While structuralism at first glance might feel cold and scientific, this removal of the text from the world—or rather this distancing from liberal humanism—can get to the true meaning of a text without letting our own moral judgments interfere.  A structuralist sees only what the text provides, and this schematic way of dissecting the structure of language has forever changed the way literature is read and interpreted.

Works Cited

Barry, Peter. Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory. 3rd Ed. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 2009. Print. 

Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis. Trans. and ed. Stanley Corngold. New York: W.W. Norton, 1996. Print.

A Liberal Humanist Critique of Kafka's 'Metamorphosis'

Welcome to "Literary Theory Week!"  I'm sure you are more than enthused to learn about various theories being used by literary critics today.  In my English 2600 class taught by Professor Albrecht-Crane at UVU, we began by reading the short story "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka.  Then we applied every theory we discussed (one a week) to that short story.  I suggest you read that story because it is amazing!  Here is the first paper I had to write on the approach known as liberal humanism:

The academic study of the English language traces its roots back only a century and a half ago, yet the traditional way in which we analyze literature—herein referred to as a liberal humanist approach, coined by the literary theorist Peter Barry—feels as old as time.  Liberal humanism is engrained in many of us without us even knowing it.  In an attempt to examine this approach, I will first discuss some of its basic tenets as explained by Barry and then apply these ideas critically to the short story “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka.

           

According to the third edition of Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory, Barry explains that the term “liberal humanism” came about in the 1970s “as a shorthand (and mainly hostile) way of referring to the kind of criticism which held sway before theory” (3).  Barry proceeds to clarify the term by defining ‘liberal’ to mean “not politically radical” and ‘humanism’ to imply a belief in human nature as a constant, unchanging entity (3).

           

To understand liberal humanism more fully, Barry offers up a list of ten basic beliefs which I will now attempt to summarize in a clear and concise manner.  The first point, as outlined by Barry, states that literature is timeless and not time-specific, meaning that the themes will always have relevance.  Barry’s second point suggests that liberal humanism finds meaning contained within the text only, and ignores any outside factors (for example the history surrounding the piece).  Going along with that, Barry argues that a liberal humanist would also ignore any pre-conceived notions one might bring with him when reading.

Barry’s other points can be summarized by a general belief that human nature is unchanging—hence the universality of the themes presented.  According to Barry, it should be said that liberal humanists believe our individuality cannot be transformed and that literature’s purpose is to enhance human life by promoting humane values through sincerity.  This sincerity, asserts Barry, also implies that form and content should come together naturally, and poetic writing should not be thrown in at the last minute.  Barry adds that the text should demonstrate the inherent moral values through the actions of the story, rather than preaching them point-blank.

           

In reading Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis,” one universal and timeless theme which a liberal humanist might recognize would be the evident struggle between the individual and society.  Gregor’s family represents society because they all have a clear expectation of him: he is to go to work and make money for the family.  Gregor, however, feels unnoticed in his profession, which can be seen from the beginning.  Kafka’s first sentence states, “When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from unsettling dreams, he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin” and Gregor’s first line of dialogue is: “What’s happened to me?” (1).  Here we can see the despair Gregor feels as he has metaphorically turned into a tiny, insignificant insect.

This struggle between the individual and society is further painted as the action unfolds.  Gregor’s mother comes to his door and reminds him of his societal duties, calling through the door, “Didn’t you want to catch the train?” (Kafka 5).  Gregor then responds to her in words that seem plain to his own ears but sound “garbled” to his mother.  His father and sister join the conversation, and none of them can understand what Gregor is saying either (Kafka 5).  In short, society does not hear or comprehend the needs of the individual.

           

As Gregor’s condition continues to worsen, making it harder and harder to assimilate into the family, the family no longer has a use for him.  “It has to go,” says the sister by the story’s end and the family agrees (Kafka 38).  A liberal humanist would say that Kafka’s story indicates that society only recognizes one’s worth by the role they fill in society, and when one can no longer contribute to society, there is no need for him.  Similarly, society does not recognize things that serve no purpose, such as a hobby in frame-making.  In Kafka’s story, the mother refers to Gregor’s time spent at the fretsaw as a “distraction” because society does not recognize individuality (8).

           

Liberal humanism judges literature much like society can be said to judge the individual, meaning it approves of only what contributes to the greater good of humanity.  Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” would be considered good literature by a liberal humanist because of its universal themes—the conflict between the individual and society being the one I demonstrated—and because of its strong moral values that enhance the human experience.  Liberal humanism is the most basic way of analyzing literature, and there are indeed more challenging approaches to the written word.

           

Works Cited

Barry, Peter. Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory. 3rd Ed. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 2009. Print. 

Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis. Trans. and ed. Stanley Corngold. New York: W.W. Norton, 1996. Print.