KAFKA AND WORLD LITERATURE in Fall 2024 (CL3063)

Kafka’s work has left indelible traces in the pages of today’s most important novelists, in the West and beyond. In this course we consider the meaning – and when relevant, the burden – of his global legacy. Assigned readings include “The Metamorphosis”, The Trial and other seminal works by Kafka alongside an assortment of Kafka-inflected fictions from around the world.

Course Master:

KAFKA AND WORLD LITERATURE (CL3063)

Term:

Fall 2024

Discipline:

CL (Comparative Literature)

Credits:

4 credits

Type:

CCI

Level:

Undergraduate

Can be taken twice for credit?:

Exam Date:

Monday, December 16, 2024 - 12:30

Pre-requisites:

None

Co-requisites:

None

Professor(s)

Daniel Medin

Learning Outcomes

To acquire a basic familiarity with Kafka’s principal texts
To better grasp the historical and biographical factors that shaped his writing
To identify various manifestations of literary influence
To recognize why Kafka has proven such a critical precursor for contemporary writers in other parts of the world
To reflect on two critical questions: "what is a classic?" and "what is world literature?"
To understand why his work elicits such divergent interpretations
Local and Global Perspectives: Students will enhance their intercultural understanding of languages, cultures, and histories of local societies and the global issues to which these relate (CCI LO1)
Aesthetic Inquiry and Creative Expression: Students will engage with artistic or creative objects (e.g., visual art, theatrical works, film) in different media and from a range of cultural traditions (CCI LO2)

Syllabus

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Book List

Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN Number
The Burrow and Other Stories	Franz Kafka translated Michael Hofmann	Penguin	9780241372593
Metamorphosis and Other Stories	Franz Kafka translated Michael Hofmann	Penguin	9780241436240
Diaries of Franz Kafka	Franz Kafka translated Ross Benjamin	Penguin	9780241695746
Letter to His Father	Franz Kafka	Schocken	9780805212662
The Lost Writings	Franz Kafka translated Michael Hofmann	Norton	9780811228015
Kafka's Last Trial	Benjamin Balint	Picador	9781509836727

Schedule

Start Date:

Monday, September 2, 2024

End Date:

Tuesday, December 17, 2024

Day	Start Time	End Time	Room
Monday	12:10	13:30	G-207
Thursday	12:10	13:30	G-207