“To call Franz Kafka ‘the Dante of the Freudian age’ would not be without justification. The statement implies this analogy: as Dante had given poetic expression to the world view developed conceptually in scholastic philosophy, Kafka presented in fictional terms the image of man as conceived by Freud” - Sokel[1]
Inspired largely by the study of the Theatre of the Absurd and the After the Bomb elective, my Major Work is a short story; a loose appropriation of Kafka’s “Metamorphosis” into a cyclical, magical realist narrative that explores the universal notion of alienation through a ‘Freudian’, psychoanalytical lens. In his description of the character of Prince Hamlet, Freud suggests that “[The Oedipus Complex] remains repressed, and—just as in the case of a neurosis—we only learn of its existence from the inhibiting consequences”. [2] Thus, I pose the notion that Gregor Samsa’s metamorphosis is essentially his ‘Freudian slip’; his subconscious overpowering his conscious self as means of escape from his family situation. Hence, I have paralleled this notion through the vessel of a ‘confessional’ painting for my protagonist Alan Pripet, as I aim to represent how a “repressed wish has found a means of evading censorship”[3] – largely paralleling personal experiences with unintentionally revealing the raw and honest difficulties of a tumultuous family environment through my own art. As such, my intended place of publication would be in the Verandah Journal – a student run publication for emerging writers and artists, as a literary and artistic understanding is crucial to grasp the notions explored throughout. Other examples of such publications include the Island Magazine or the Griffith Review.
The Origin of the Work of Art has pointed out that self portraiture is “not only an artwork but also a reflection of the inner-side of the painter” and a balance of “personal comprehension and living expectation”.[4] I decided to reference a number of different, ‘tortured’ visual artists such as Picasso, Schiele, Dali who practiced the art of both portraiture and self portraiture. It has been said that “Works of art are not merely representations of the way things are, but actually produce a community’s shared understanding.” [5] - an intersubjective reality - and thus, reflecting the modernist period: “Schiele lives in a clouded world with his terrifyingly distorted figures filled with fear, horror, fright and despair…” The notion of the ‘ugly self portrait’ of Schiele resonated deeply within my artistic pursuits as well as in my day-to-day life, as I recognised how my perception of the world and others was so heavily influenced by the pervading disconnect of contemporary society.
The magical realist-style narrative responds to the aesthetic innovations of Picasso, which were “an attack upon conventional pictorial concepts of reality” and “an infusion of an inordinately high psychic tension achieved pictorially by various methods of distortion; and second, a playing with time and space in relationship to the mass and dimensions of the body.”[6] Likewise, this parallels with the notion of “Kafkaesque”; “the horror that he never knows what is happening or when. [7], which I have mimicked throughout, particularly in the ending scenes. Furthermore, the notion of cubism prevailed as a unique metaphor for many layers of my short story. Despite its abstract form, cubism is often hailed as “an attempt at a more realistic way of seeing.”[8] As existentialist philosophy deems that “existence precedes essence”[9], and that the individual ‘creates’ their own purpose, Alan believes his cubist pursuit will bring him meaning. The struggle between his father’s belief that ‘realism was the only way’ and Alan’s more abstract style serves to represent the discrepancy between what one strives for and what is achieved, which results an enduring anxiety. Thus, Alan’s suppression of his desires to pursue cubism due to the difficult relationship with his artist father limits his perspective, acting as an obstacle to his own fulfilment and search for true meaning and limits his understanding of reality. Furthermore, the spontaneous allusions to the visually fragmented nature of cubism throughout the narrative reinforces his alienation and foreshadows his impending, phoenix-like emergence of self through his art.
I believe that art is the manifestation of inspiration, and hence my work is conducted in the light of T.S. Eliot, as he declares “No poet, no artist of any art, has his complete meaning alone. His significance, his appreciation is the appreciation of his relation to the dead poets and artists”.[10] Thus, through the use of broad reference to literature and art and obvious appropriation of Kafka, my work is a pastiche; “ an amalgamating mode, an eclectic blending”[11]. Personally, it evolved into drawing upon many prominent issues in my life and condensing them into a rather personal, anxiety-riddled manifesto; interpretations of artworks, my own painting practice, an absurd family situation and my subsequent frustration and confusion regarding the two. In “The Metamorphosis”, the reference to the slamming doors in the background - which seem to have no relevance to the story - are mentioned because it happened so often during the times he was trying to write as he himself lived with his parents. Thus, the recurring mention of “disruptive, unnerving sounds that haunt”, [12] specifically the ‘laughter’ contrasts his personal experience, therefore reinforcing his sense of alienation.
The title in itself, “Kafka in the Rye” alludes to the key references to Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” and the use of an unreliable narrative voice alike Holden in “Catcher in the Rye”; drawing parallels between the typical, “ recurrent figure in much of the twentieth century American and European fiction.”[13] Alan experiences the mutual alienation and existential troubles that Gregor and Holden find themselves faced with: something that I certainly, and I’m sure most people, can relate to. Likewise, I reflected the theme of repression as a result of the suffocating expectations of his family members as this is something I have indeed experienced alike Gregor.
The use of intertextuality provides links to works in the canon and thus unifies my notions about the human condition. Ultimately “any text is an intertext”, [14] but I decided to draw upon Kafka as the act of appropriation is “fundamental to the practice and, indeed, to the enjoyment of literature”.[15] The name of my protagonist, Alan Pripet is an anagram of Periplaneta, a genus of cockroach, and an allusion to a common interpretation of Gregor’s physical form. Furthermore, the use of ‘animalistic imagery’ throughout such as “wriggling”/ “Swarm”/ “teeming with hundreds of colourful bodies, crawling/ “carapaces” carefully reinforces the ambiguity surrounding Gregor’s form, creating an anxiety for the reader and reflecting the Freudian interpretation of bugs representing anxieties.
Initially. I was drawn to writing existentialist fiction, after having read Camus’ “The Outsider” and “The Fall”. However, I found Camus’ passive, detached voice unsatisfactory at emphasising subjective interpretation. I was instead inspired by J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye narration; I aim to mimic the distorted perspective of the protagonist through a past-tense, first person singular point of view, in which he perceives the world as ‘phony” but likewise confesses to the reader that he is "the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life" [16]– revealing his biased perspective. Thus, the reader feels a more direct connection to Alan – as if the story is being told to them in person – and assists by helping us empathise while emulating the ranting of a manic artist trying to convey his vision thoroughly but concisely, and failing miserably. I likewise aimed to mimic Nabokov and his use of unreliable narration as “we trust what is being read to us” [17]. Hence, the intentional and obvious discrepancies throughout in regards such as the gradual renaming of “Gretel” into “Gretchen” mimics how “unreliability becomes a weapon that Nabokov wields not only to create his character, but also to force readers to examine the expectations of truth.”[18]
“Existentialism emphasized man must have a strong consciousness of self-control. But people in the real world can never existent without others’ influence. So no one can go without anxiety, because there are contradictions everywhere in our life.” Gregor’s form in The Metamorphosis is something so central to understanding the story, and yet something so specifically ambiguous. Therefore, I paralleled this through the intentional ambiguity of the artwork’s literal form, through describing it only as “a number of vibrant red slashes emerging from one side only”, “coat upon coat of various colours” Furthermore, this use of exaggeration and irregular syntax emulated the practice of Van Gogh as “What characterizes his works as a whole is its excess . . . of strength, of nervousness, its violence of expression.” [19]
“This ambiguity makes anxiety, too”[20] – both for Alan, experiencing this flux while he paints, and the reader as they are vicariously immersed within this limbo, trying to ascertain what’s real and what’s not in the story.
Thus, through the writing of my Major Work – which has indeed undergone a metamorphosis in itself – I believe I have achieved my aim; not to arrive at a “finality, which we find so satisfying because we are so frightened”[21], but rather to bask in the frustration and complexity of the creative process, highlighting the nuances that are typically neglected and the social isolation that arises from such a lifestyle. consequently, I hope to reach an audience that can resonate with these struggles, alike the literary audience of the Verandah Journal.
[1] Sokel, W, “Freud and the Magic of Kafka’s Writing”, (1980)
[2] Freud, S. “Analysis of a Phobia in a Five-Year-Old Boy” (1909)
[3] Eiermann. E “The Inside Scoop: An E-Portfolio: “What’s Bugging You?”: A Freudian Study of Metamorphosis, 2013
[4] Crozier, W. Ray, and Paul Greenhalgh. “Self-Portraits as Presentations of Self.” Leonardo, vol. 21, no. 1, 1988,
[5] The International Journal of Arts Education 5.1 2007
[6] The Painting of Pablo Picasso: A Psychoanalytic Study Author(s): Daniel E. Schneider Source: College Art Journal, Vol. 7, No. 2 (Winter, 1947-1948), pp. 81-95 Published by: College Art Association
[7] Edwards, I. “The Essence of Kafkaeqsue”, New York Times, 1991
[8] Ettinger, T. “Picasso, Cubism and the Eye of the Beholder: Psychoanalysis and Cognitive Psychology”, American Imago, Vol. 53, 1996
[9] Sartre, J “Being and Nothingness” 1956
[10] Eliot, T.S., “Tradition and the Individual Talent”, London (1919)
[11] Hutcheon, L., “Pastiche: Cultural Memory in Art, Film, Literature (review)”, Penn State University Press, Volume 42, Number 2, 2005
[12] Gellen, K. Kafka and Noise, The Discovery of Cinematic Sound in Literary Modernism
[13] Saleem, A “Theme of Alienation in Modern Literature”, European Journal of English Language and Literature Studies Vol.2, No.3, pp.67-76, (2014)
[14] Barthes, R. “Theory of the Text”, (1981)
[15] Sanders, J “Adaptation and Appropriation”, London, New York, (2006)
[16] Salinger, J.D. “The Catcher in the Rye” (1951)
[17] Webb, E. “Citations Journal of Undergraduate Research”© May 2017, Vol. 14
[18] (as above)
[19] Deidre Pribram. E. “A Cultural Approach to Emotional Disorders: Psychological and Aesthetic Interpretations”
[20] Jin-Tsann Yeh “Being-there: an Existentialism Point of View in Egon Schiele's Self-portraits” The International Journal of Arts Education
[21] Lawrence, D.H. “Phoenix: The Posthumous Papers of D.H. Lawrence”