Constructive Destruction: Kafka's Aphorisms - Literary Tradition and Literary Transformation (Studien Zur Deutschen Literatur)

The study presents a thorough investigation of Kafka's aphoristic writings, examining them in terms of the history of the aphorism in Germany, and paying special regard to Kafka's contemporary Austrian aphorists. Emphasis is placed on the role of the aphorism in the development of Kafka's literary creativity. Aphoristic discourse presented itself to Kafka as a possible manner of resolving specific conflicts in his life and art, above all the crisis of communication the individuality of the self. Aphoristic structure provides the transitional link between Kafka ́s early perspectivistic narratives and the parables of the later period. Introduction CHAPTER ONE: History, Tradition, and Structure of the Aphorism I. The History of the Aphorism II. The German and French Models of Aphoristic Expression III. The Text-Internal Dialectic of the Aphorism IV. Aphorism and Hermeneutics: The Text-External Dialectic V. Aphorism and Linguistic Scepticism CHAPTER TWO: Aphorism and Aphorists in Turn-of-the-Century Austria I. Aphorism and Zeitgeist II. From Impression to Epiphany: The Aphorism in the Austrian Jahrhundertwende III. Aphorism and Sprachkrise in Turn-of-the-Century Austria CHAPTER THREE: Kafka: Aphoristic Text and Aphoristic Context I. Kafka and Turn-of-the-Century Austria II. Kafka's Inclination Toward Aphoristic Utterances III. Kafka and “Aphoristics” IV. Kafka's Aphorisms and the Crisis of Communication CHAPTER FOUR: Kafka and his Aphoristic Precursors I. Aphorism and Autobiography: Self-Observation and Self-Projection II. Pascal and Kierkegaard: Scepticism and Critical Method III. Aphorism and Polemics: Karl Kraus CHAPTER FIVE: Kafka's Aphorisms: Intratext and Intertext I. Compositional History and Compositional Strategies of Kafka's Aphorisms II. Form and Structure of Kafka's Aphorisms CHAPTER SIX: Aphorism and Met-Aphorism: The Relationship of Aphorism and Parable in Kafka's Œuvre BIBLIOGRAPHY

The study presents a thorough investigation of Kafka's aphoristic writings, examining them in terms of the history of the aphorism in Germany, and paying special regard to Kafka's contemporary Austrian aphorists. Emphasis is placed on the role of the aphorism in the development of Kafka's literary creativity. Aphoristic discourse presented itself to Kafka as a possible manner of resolving specific conflicts in his life and art, above all the crisis of communication the individuality of the self. Aphoristic structure provides the transitional link between Kafka´s early perspectivistic narratives and the parables of the later period.

The series Studien zur deutschen Literatur (Studies in German Literature) presents outstanding analyses of German-speaking literature from the early modern period to the present day. It particularly embraces comparative, cultural and historical-epistemological questions and serves as a tradition-steeped forum for innovative literary research. All submitted manuscripts undergo a double peer-review process. Richard T. Gray. Bibliography: P. 293-308.