Franz Kafka And the Genealogy of Modern European Philosophy: From Phenomenology to Post-structuralism (Problems in Contemporary Philosophy)

This study explores a coalition of philosophy and literature in the work of Franz Kafka. It consists of a reading of Kafka's output informed by an account of his study of the 'descriptive psychology' of Franz Brentano and other thinkers and moves on to an analysis and critique of the post-structuralist reception of Kafka. Allan, who teaches philosophy in Stratford-upon-Avon, seeks a coalition of philosophy and literature in the work of Kafka (1883-1924), beginning with a grounding of his output in the philosophical context from which it emerged. He explores how the German writer's texts were influenced by the descriptive psychology of Franz Brentano and its attendant agendas of logic, Gestalt psychology, and a nascent form of phenomenology. He also identifies Kafka's aesthetic exploitation of such positions, and surveys the post-structuralist response to his work. Annotation :2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Preface / John Rignall -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Kafka And The Brentano School -- 3. Authorship, Genre, Language -- 4. Interpretation -- 5. Power/desire -- 6. Reading Kafka. Neil Allan. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [235]-245) And Index.