[NGFP-BookClub] The Trial
Philip Shulman
ngfp-bookclub@lists.ngfp.org
Wed, 12 May 2004 18:25:46 -0700
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In response to Barbara and Ruth:
In reading the book, Barbara, I felt intuitively that K. was a Jew, though
I can't quite explain why. This is despite his going to a Cathedral and
talking to a priest. It remings me of the time my reading group read
"Confessions of Zeno" by Italo Svevo, a triestine Jew, who as his name
implies, was a German-Italian mixture. In reading the book, I had a strong
feeling that Zeno was Jewish, despite the fact that he is represented as
being Catholic. I mentioned it at the group meeting and several other
members said they had the same feeling, though none of us could quite put
our finger on why. Is there a kind of characteristic Jewish sensibility
that one senses intuitively, or is this just a projection of our own
feelings? I do feel that Kafka belongs in the Jewish canon.
As always, Ruth, I appreciate your comments, but in some respects my
reaction is very different from yours - no great surprise, I guess: the
book, lacking specifics, is in some ways a projective test, like the
Rorschach, so we all, I think, tend to perceive it in accordance with our
own background and personalitiy. Not a question of right or wrong, just
different. You say:
...He starts out thinking that he is self-sufficient, that the apple of
reason is enough for a modern man, but then discovers that he needs guidance
after all...
...people look for biographical approaches to the book: we try to fill in
all that Kafka has left out. We may want to humanize K. as a way of helping
him out of his condition.
...the place mocks him rather than giving him any sense of security...
In my opinion, this has some validity at the conscious, literal level, but
not at a deeper level. The book strikes me as essentially one long dream and
so I approach it as a dream. That is, it contains much truth expressed in
the language of the dream i.e. in symbolic language whereby the inner
emotional life is externalized and represented in the form of events in time
and space. Kafka has indeed left much out, as dreams do, but I don't
think we need to fill in a lot - rather we need to understand that Kafka has
put in a great deal, if we can only learn to interpret it as one interprets
a dream i.e. to go from the manifest content to the latent content, and not
to be misled by the dream's apparently bizarre surface events. As the
Talmud says, "a dream that is not understood is like a letter that has not
been opened". I see Kafka's novel as a letter that needs to be opened.
Most people (except Jews) thought that dreams were nonsense until Joseph,
Freud and others showed how to understand them.
We want to humanize K. not "as a way of helping him out of his condition",
I think, but because the humanity is really there if we can but understand
it, and because we do want to understand it. As in a dream, seemingly minor
details tell us much about K.'s problem. For example:
The first sentence tells us of K.'s arrest. The second sentence, which may
seem like a minor irrelevant detail, contains significant information about
his personality: the cook, who normally "brought him breakfast each day
around eight" (part of his life's routine) did not appear, and this "had
never happened before." As concisely conveyed by Kafka, we see already that
he is not self-sufficient, rather he is dependent on being fed by others -
this is there throughout the book. The book is full of such "minor details"
which are really significant, if we only pay attention. I don't think "he
discovers that he needs guidance after all": rather he always tends to look
for guidance, from day one, one way or another, as the Inspector and the
priest try to tell him - instead of to "think more about yourself", as
the Inspector suggests,
which could be "a way of helping him out of his condition". The "apple of
reason" is certainly there, but I see it more as the common Jewish habit of
over-intellectualizing in order not to face one's real feelings and
problems.
In the church, he felt that "the place mocks him" because he could not hear
the priest's good advice that ""you misunderstand the facts of the matter...
you seek too much outside help." Again, Kafka's concise statement of the
problem, easily overlooked.
Best regards to all,
Philip
on 5/12/04 9:43 AM, Barbara S. Cohen at barbarascohen@earthlink.net wrote:
In answer to Ruth Wisse:
I feel that this book belongs in the Jewish canon.
To classify the character K as Jewish may be separate and distinct from
considering him as a symbol for Jewish and Jewish values...
Barbara S. Cohen
----- Original Message -----
From: ruth wisse <mailto:wisse@fas.harvard.edu>
To: ngfp-bookclub@lists.ngfp.org
Sent: Wednesday, May 12, 2004 2:25 AM
Subject: [NGFP-BookClub] The Trial
The discussion has become very absorbing. Here is a book that not only
allows for interpretation, but demands it. This may also be why so many
people look for biographical approaches to the book: we try to fill in all
that Kafka has left out. We may want to humanize K. as a way of helping him
out of his condition.
Readers will obviously decide for themselves whether they think this book
belongs in the Jewish canon.... He has no such knowledge. He starts out
thinking that he is self-sufficient, that the apple of reason is enough for
a modern man, but then discovers that he needs guidance after all. As his
search escalates, he seeks the ultimate assurance that used to come in the
house of God, but since he is even less than a tourist, the place mocks him
rather than giving him any sense of security.
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<TITLE>Re: [NGFP-BookClub] The Trial</TITLE>
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In response to Barbara and Ruth:<BR>
<BR>
In reading the book, Barbara, I felt intuitively that K. was a Jew, t=
hough I can't quite explain why. This is despite his going to a Cathedral an=
d talking to a priest. It remings me of the time my reading group read "=
;Confessions of Zeno" by Italo Svevo, a triestine Jew, who as his name =
implies, was a German-Italian mixture. In reading the book, I had a strong f=
eeling that Zeno was Jewish, despite the fact that he is represented as bein=
g Catholic. I mentioned it at the group meeting and several other members sa=
id they had the same feeling, though none of us could quite put our finger o=
n why. Is there a kind of characteristic Jewish sensibility that=
one senses intuitively, or is this just a projection of our own feelings? I=
do feel that Kafka belongs in the Jewish canon.<BR>
<BR>
As always, Ruth, I appreciate your comments, but in some respects my reacti=
on is very different from yours - no great surprise, I guess: the book, lack=
ing specifics, is in some ways a projective test, like the Rorschach, =
so we all, I think, tend to perceive it in accordance with our own backgroun=
d and personalitiy. Not a question of right or wrong, just different. =
You say:<BR>
<BR>
...He starts out thinking that he is self-sufficient, that the apple of rea=
son is enough for a modern man, but then discovers that he needs guidance af=
ter all...<BR>
<BR>
...people look for biographical approaches to the book: we try to fill in a=
ll that Kafka has left out. We may want to humanize K. as a way of helping h=
im out of his condition.<BR>
<BR>
...the place mocks him rather than giving him any sense of security...<BR>
<BR>
In my opinion, this has some validity at the conscious, literal level, but =
not at a deeper level. The book strikes me as essentially one long dream and=
so I approach it as a dream. That is, it contains much truth ex=
pressed in the language of the dream i.e. in symbolic language whereby the i=
nner emotional life is externalized and represented in the form of events in=
time and space. Kafka has indeed left much out, as dreams do, b=
ut I don't think we need to fill in a lot - rather we need to understa=
nd that Kafka has put in a great deal, if we can only learn to interpret it =
as one interprets a dream i.e. to go from the manifest content to the latent=
content, and not to be misled by the dream's apparently bizarre surface eve=
nts. As the Talmud says, "a dream that is not understood is like =
a letter that has not been opened". I see Kafka's novel as a lett=
er that needs to be opened. Most people (except Jews) thought that dre=
ams were nonsense until Joseph, Freud and others showed how to underst=
and them.<BR>
We want to humanize K. not "as a way of helping him out of his conditi=
on", I think, but because the humanity is really there if we can =
but understand it, and because we do want to understand it. As in a dream, &=
nbsp;seemingly minor details tell us much about K.'s problem. &n=
bsp; For example:=
<BR>
The first sentence tells us of K.'s arrest. The second sentence, which may =
seem like a minor irrelevant detail, contains significant information about =
his personality: the cook, who normally "brought him breakfast each day=
around eight" (part of his life's routine) did not appear, and t=
his "had never happened before." As concisely conveyed by Ka=
fka, we see already that he is not self-sufficient, rather he is depen=
dent on being fed by others - this is there throughout the book. The book is=
full of such "minor details" which are really significant, if we =
only pay attention. I don't think "he <I>discovers</I> that=
he needs guidance after all": rather he <I>always</I> tends to look fo=
r guidance, from day one, one way or another, as the Inspector a=
nd the priest try to tell him - instead of to "think more a=
bout yourself", as the Inspector suggests, <BR>
which could be "a way of helping him out of his condition&=
quot;. The "apple of reason" is certainly there, but I see it more=
as the common Jewish habit of over-intellectualizing in order not to face o=
ne's real feelings and problems.<BR>
In the church, he felt that "the place mocks him" because he coul=
d not hear the priest's good advice that ""you misunderstand the f=
acts of the matter... you seek too much outside help." Again, Kaf=
ka's concise statement of the problem, easily overlooked.<BR>
<BR>
Best regards to all,<BR>
&n=
bsp; =
Philip &nb=
sp; &=
nbsp;  =
; <BR>
<BR>
on 5/12/04 9:43 AM, Barbara S. Cohen at barbarascohen@earthlink.net wrote:<=
BR>
<BR>
In answer to Ruth Wisse:<BR>
I feel that this book belongs in the Jewish canon.<BR>
<BR>
To classify the character K as Jewish may be separate and distinct from con=
sidering him as a symbol for Jewish and Jewish values...<BR>
<BR>
Barbara S. Cohen<BR>
<BR>
----- Original Message ----- <BR>
From: ruth wisse <mailto:wisse@fas.harvard.edu> <BR>
To: ngfp-bookclub@lists.ngfp.org <BR>
Sent: Wednesday, May 12, 2004 2:25 AM<BR>
Subject: [NGFP-BookClub] The Trial<BR>
<BR>
The discussion has become very absorbing. Here is a book that not only allo=
ws for interpretation, but demands it. This may also be why so many people l=
ook for biographical approaches to the book: we try to fill in all that Kafk=
a has left out. We may want to humanize K. as a way of helping him out of hi=
s condition. <BR>
<BR>
Readers will obviously decide for themselves whether they think this book b=
elongs in the Jewish canon.... He has no such knowledge. He starts out think=
ing that he is self-sufficient, that the apple of reason is enough for a mod=
ern man, but then discovers that he needs guidance after all. As his search =
escalates, he seeks the ultimate assurance that used to come in the house of=
God, but since he is even less than a tourist, the place mocks him rather t=
han giving him any sense of security. <BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
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