The Mechanics of Franz Kafka's 'In der Strafkolonie': A Reading through Verbal Associations

Author

Charles Beck Cochran, University of Tennessee - KnoxvilleFollow

Date of Award

8-2014

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Major

German

Major Professor

Stefanie Ohnesorg

Committee Members

Carolyn Hodges, Jeff Mellor

Abstract

Theoretically based in a Judaic philosophy and in Kafka’s related mythology, which locates the origins of the world in language, this thesis takes its practical starting point from a relatively little-documented writing method of Kafka that appears inseparably linked to his language mythology. This writing method is one in which Kafka developed the fictional world of his narratives out of language or associations in language. In a unique attempt to document its full impact on the development of a literary text, the thesis seeks to utilize this writing method as a reading method, identifying the verbal associations from which Kafka wrote one of his most recognized narratives, the short story “In der Strafkolonie.”

Recommended Citation

Cochran, Charles Beck, "The Mechanics of Franz Kafka's 'In der Strafkolonie': A Reading through Verbal Associations. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 2014.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/2801