Franz Kafka

In this course

Kafka provides the literary-philosophical framework through which Deleuze theorizes control societies, standing as the exemplary figure for understanding how subjects are unknowingly caught within bureaucratic systems that exceed comprehension. The course readings use Kafka's writing (particularly his depiction of inscrutable institutional power) to ground Deleuze's argument that contemporary control operates not through spatial confinement but through continuous modulation—a shift from the discrete thresholds of disciplinary space to the ambient, pervasive logic of the card that might arbitrarily grant or deny access.

Background

Franz Kafka was a German-language Jewish Czech writer and novelist born in Prague, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Widely regarded as a major figure of 20th-century literature, his works fuse elements of realism and the fantastique, and typically feature isolated protagonists facing bizarre or surreal predicaments and incomprehensible bureaucratic powers. The term Kafkaesque has entered the lexicon to describe situations like those depicted in his writings. His best-known works include the novella The Metamorphosis (1915) and the novels The Trial (1924) and The Castle (1926). He is also celebrated for his brief fables and aphorisms, which frequently incorporated comedic elements alongside the darker themes of his longer works. His work has widely influenced artists, philosophers, composers, filmmakers, literary historians, religious scholars, and cultural theorists.

Mentioned in 1 reading