The relationship of philosophy with Kafka's oeuvre
is complex. It has been argued that Kafka's novels and
stories defy philosophic extrapolation; conversely, it
has also been suggested that precisely the tendency of
Kafka's writings to elude discursive solution is itself
a philosophical tendency, one that is somehow
contributing to a wiser relationship of human beings
with language. These matters are the focus of the
proposed volume on Philosophy and Kafka. The proposed
collection brings together essays that interrogate the
relationship of philosophy and Kafka, and offer new and
original interpretations. The volume obviously cannot
claim completeness, but it partially does justice to the
multiplicity of philosophical issues and philosophical
interpretations at stake. This variety informs the
composition of the volume itself. A number of essays
focus on specific philosophical commentaries on Kafka's
work, from Adorno's to Agamben's, from Arendt's to
Benjamin's, from Deleuze and Guattari's to Derrida's. A
number of essays consider the possible relevance of
certain philosophical outlooks for examining Kafka's
writings: here Kafka's name goes alongside those of
Socrates, Kant, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Wittgenstein,
Buber, Heidegger, Blanchot, and Levinas. Finally, a
number of essays consider Kafka's writings in terms of a
specific philosophical theme, such as communication and
subjectivity, language and meaning, knowledge and truth,
the human/animal divide, justice, and freedom. In all
contributions to the volume, such themes, motifs, and
interpretations arise. To varying degrees, all essays
are concerned with the relationship of literature and
philosophy, and thus with the philosophical significance
of Kafka's writings.
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