Kafka and Photography
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; Oxford University Press
Published: January 11, 2008
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 288
ISBN-13: 9780199219452
Subjects: Novels, other prose & writers: 19th century; Novels, other prose & writers: from c 1900 -; Photography & Photographs; Literary Collections; Literature - Classics / Criticism; German; Literature: Classics; Continental European; Letters; Literary Collections / Letters; 1883-1924; Criticism and interpretation; Kafka, Franz,; Photography in literature
Description: "By far the most frequently and extensively discussed visual medium in Kafka's texts, photography is paradigmatic of his relationship to visuality more generally. This study not only explores photography's recurrence as a theme within his texts but it is also the first to take systematic account of Kafka's use of photographs as literary source material." "Kafka and Photography presents one of the most important modern writers from an entirely new perspective; it sheds new light on familiar works and uncovers unexplored aspects of Kafka's engagement with his time and context. Providing a chronological account of key prose works, as well as the personal writings, this study is accessible to students and lay readers. It will be of interest not only to literary scholars but also to those working in photography, media, and cultural studies. Its detailed textual analyses are set against a richly documented historical context which illustrates Kafka's interest in contemporary culture through a range of visual material taken from public as well as private sources - some of which has only recently become available. As this book demonstrates, photography had a profound impact on Kafka's literary imagination and as such helps to explain the mesmerizing intensity of enigmatic visual detail which is a hallmark of his narratives."--Jacket.