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A comment on The Impossibility of Translating Franz Kafka (1999).

Re:The Impossibility of Translating Franz Kafka (1999) by wiesbadener on Monday June 03, 2024 @05:04PM (#40567545)
In German high school, I've studied Franz Kafka's works, focusing on literary analysis, historical context, and philosophical themes. We had to explore his narrative techniques and existential themes in texts like "The Metamorphosis" and "The Trial." Helpful to me were "Reclam Kommentare", commentaries accompanying Kafka's texts.

They provide insights into his language, themes and help with the text analysis. A general learning goal is to connect Kafka's life and works to broader historical and social issues.

So maybe translating the respective Reclam booklets will help non-native speakers, too. They for sure helped me.

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Re:The Impossibility of Translating Franz Kafka (1999) by leephillips on Monday June 03, 2024 @05:53PM (#40568022)
“...historical context...philosophical themes...existential themes... broader historical and social issues...”

This dreary approach is likely to miss the point of Kafka’s art. I recommend Nabokov’s lecture on the Metamorphosis in his Lectures on Literature.

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