A. "The Judgment" 1-10] (= 9 pp)

1. P. iii] Give an indication of a biographical approach to FK.

4. 1-3] What is the effect of G's friend being away?

5. 4]-on Characterize G's relationship to his father.

6. 7-9] Describe his father's condition.

7. gen.-- At what point does the story seem to leave realism behind? Can you give 2 conflicting descriptions of the father?

8. gen.-- What is the father's accusation?
9. 6-7] What seem to be G's feelings?

11. 9-10] & gen.-- Kleist is considered a precursor of Kafka. Guess in what sense this might be true (world view, characters, authority figures, drama, sentence length).

12. 9-10] Much ink has been spilled interpreting the ending. How do you interpret it? Give evidence for your reading.

B. "The Metamorphosis" 11 - 52] (=41 pp) Tired of Caltvedt's study questions? Try these for a change of pace.(stolen from English 221 Great Books 2 by Dr. George Mitrevski)Metamorphosis: Study Guide I.

1.Write a definition of "metaphor" and provide several examples.

2.Draw a picture of what you think Gregor looks like after he turns into a bug.

3.Make a listing of some of the humorous scenes. Why do you think they are humorous?

4.Describe Gregor's room. What is the picture hanging on the wall?

5.Describe Gregor's own attitude and his reaction to his new predicament.

6.Describe what life was like for Gregor before his metamorphosis, at home and on job.

7.Describe everyone's reaction as they see Gregor come out of his room.

8.In what ways do you think Gregor was like a "bug" even before his metamorphosis?

II.

1.Describe how and what Gregor eats.

2.What is his family situation like?

3.How does Gregor's sister treat him differently from the way he is treated by his parents?

4.How does Gregor entertain himself?

5.Why doesn't Gregor want his furniture moved out?

6.What kind of changes does Gregor notice in his father?

III.

1.How does Gregor's family try to make life seem "normal" for themselves?

2.What prevents the family from moving to a smaller partment?

3.How do they try to manage financially?

4.How has Gregor's attitude toward his family changed?

5.How has Grete's treatment of Gregor changed? Give some examples.

6.What changes take place in Gregor's room?

7.What is Gregor's attitude toward the roomers? Why?

8.Describe Gregor's reaction as he hears his sister play the violin.

9.Why do the roomers threaten to leave?

10.Describe the scene of Gregor's death.

11.Describe how each family member reacts when they hear that Gregor is dead.

12.How do they celebrate Gregor's death?
 

C. "In the Penal Colony" 53 - 75](=23 pp);

1.Construct a reading of Franz Kafka's "In the Penal Colony" as an allegory about writing.

2. What is the appropriate Peñalty for failing to HONOR THY SUPERIORS?

3. How does one BE JUST? How is justice related to compassion?

4. What aspects of 20^th c. history might make one think this is "real"?
5. What does "surrealistic" mean? Does it apply here? How, if so?
6. Is the authority figure (or "authoritarian figure") also
7. Some have seen this piece as a prophecy of the Holocaust. How might this be?

4. "A Report to an Academy" 81 - 88](=8 pp) (total = 60 pp)

2. 82] What was the 1^st thing he learned? Does he talk like an ape?

3. 82-3] How are his wounds? What's his attitude toward them?

4. 83] Did he behave "like an animal"?

5. 83-4] What's the difference X way out and freedom?

6. 82-5] How does he describe the people who keep him captive?

7. 86] In what sense was he a typical ape, only better than other apes?

8. 86] What kind of impression does the "booze teacher" make?

9. 87] What is his triumph? And how do people react?

10. 87] What would you choose? Why?

11. 86-8] What did he achieve through his great efforts? What might the author be driving at?

12. 88] & gen-- Is the ape a male chauvinist pig? Why (not)?

13. Gen.--What are apes like?

14. gen.--What might the Ape's wound mean?

15. gen.-- Which is better, being an ape or being human? Why?

16. gen.-- What might the report be saying about freedom? education?
 

D. Study Questions to short texts of Kafka (In-Class Kafka).

1. p. 1] Try to figure out these short texts and aphorisms.

2. p. 1]-2] K's diaries. What of his life went into "The Judgment"?

3. p. 2] other diary entries. Do they help with "The J."?
 

E.Study Questions on "Before the Law," "Next V.,"Prometheus"

1. What is the image of authority here?

2. How might this text relate to the Old Testament? What is like Kleist?

4. Find possible examples of humor.

5. What does the parable mean? ---what might be modern in it?

6. Compare "Next Village" to "Before the Law." Humor?

7. Kleist said God is hard to understand.--& Kafka--would he say that, too?
 

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8 Jan 2001