"Kafkaesque" is an adjective which is used to describe concepts, situations, and ideas which are reminiscent of the literary work of Prague writer Franz Kafka, particularly his novel The Trial and his novella The Metamorphosis. Kafka at the age of five Franz Kafka (IPA: ) (July 3, 1883 – June 3, 1924) was one of the major German-language novelists and short story writers of the 20th century, whose unique body of writing — much of it incomplete, and published posthumously despite his wish that it be destroyed... The Trial book cover This article is about the novel by Kafka. ... The Metamorphosis (in German, Die Verwandlung) is a novella by Franz Kafka, first published in 1915, and arguably the most famous of his works along with the longer works The Trial and The Castle. ...

The term, which is quite fluid in definition, has also been described as "marked by a senseless, disorienting, often menacing complexity: Kafkaesque bureaucracies" [1] and "marked by surreal distortion and often a sense of impending danger: Kafkaesque fantasies of the impassive interrogation, the false trial, the confiscated passport . . . haunt his innocence" — The New Yorker. [2] The New Yorker is an American magazine that publishes reportage, criticism, essays, cartoons, poetry, and fiction. ...

It can also describe an intentional distortion of reality by powerful but anonymous bureaucrats. "Lack of evidence is treated as a pesky inconvenience, to be circumvented by such Kafkaesque means as depositing unproven allegations into sealed files ..." Another definition would be an existentialist state of ever-elusive freedom while existing under unmitigatable control.

The adjective refers to anything suggestive of Kafka, especially his nightmarish type of narration, in which characters lack a clear course of action, the ability to see beyond immediate events, and the possibility of escape. The term's meaning has transcended the literary realm to apply to real-life occurrences and situations that are incomprehensibly complex, bizarre, or illogical.

Cultural references

• From Woody Allen's 1977 film Annie Hall:

Rolling Stone Reporter: Having sex with you is a really Kafkaesque experience. I mean that as a compliment.

Alvy Singer: Umm...thank you.

• In the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes Hobbes remarks that people need good night smooches so they don't get Kafka dreams.
• In the film The Squid and the Whale, Walt, a high school student, tries to impress Sophie by describing The Metamorphosis as "Kafkaesque." His plan backfires when she says "Of course, because it's written by Franz Kafka."
• In the TV series Mission Hill, cartoonist Andy French displays a drawing of a woman at a meat store pointing at a steak and saying "That is so kafkaesque!". Andy explains that it's meant as a satire to the people who misuse the phrase.
• In the computer graphic adventure Sam & Max, when they find a human-flea creature at a freak show, Max says "How Kafkesque...".
• In the movie Naked Lunch, Joan Lee says that she gets a "Kafkaesque high" off bug powder. "It makes you feel like a bug."
• In one episode of Malcolm in the Middle, when Reese is cornered by a brother of a kid in Malcolm's "smart school", the kid remarks "Kafkaesque, isn't it?"--remarking on the difficulty of the situation for Reece.
• In an episode of Law and Order: Criminal Intent, a husband who refused to disclose the location of marital assets (over 15 million dollars) was put in jail longer than any other person in New York state for Contempt of Court. When being interviewed by Detective Goren, the husband referred to his situation as "kafkaesque".
• In the episode of The Venture Bros. "Mid-life Chrysalis" Dr. Venture describes his situation as being "torn from the pages of Kafka" after being turned into a giant caterpillar.
• In the Mel Brooks 1987 Star Wars spoof Spaceballs, Rick Moranis' character Dark Helmet says, "Prepare for metamorphosis. Are you ready, Kafka?"
• In the movie Congo when Grant Heslov's character is being interrogated, he says "This is pure Kafka!", to which his interrogator harshly asks "Who's Kafka?! Tell me!!".
• In an episode of Veronica Mars, Veronica's essay was identified by a plagiarism program and said to have been posted a year earlier. The character she was with remarked, ""This must be a real Kafka-esque experience for you."

Woody Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg on December 1, 1935) is a three-time Academy Award-winning American film director, writer, actor, musician, and comedian. ... Annie Hall is a 1977 romantic comedy film directed by Woody Allen from a script he co-wrote with Marshall Brickman. ... Listen to this article (3 parts) · (info) Part 1 · Part 2 · Part 3 This audio file was created from an article revision dated 2006-01-29, and may not reflect subsequent edits to the article. ... The Squid and the Whale is a 2005 comedy-drama film written and directed by Noah Baumbach. ... For the Boston neighborhood, see Mission Hill, Boston, Massachusetts. ... Sam and Max are a pair of fictional comic book characters who occupy a parody of American popular culture. ... Naked Lunch is a 1991 film by the Canadian director David Cronenberg. ... Malcolm in the Middle is an American situation comedy created by Linwood Boomer for the Fox Network. ... Law & Order: Criminal Intent is a United States crime drama television series that began in 2001. ... The Venture Bros. ... Mel Brooks in the 2005 film of The Producers Mel Brooks (born June 28, 1926) is an American actor, writer, director, and producer best known as a creator of broad film farces and comedy parodies, or as he says, spoofs. ... The cover of the 2004 DVD widescreen release of the revamped original Star Wars Trilogy. ... Spaceballs is a science fiction spoof film written, directed by, and starring Mel Brooks. ... Rick Moranis as Dark Helmet in Spaceballs. ... Hes friends with George Clooney and his sidekick. ... Veronica Mars is a critically acclaimed American teen drama/mystery-neo-noir series which premiered on UPN on September 22, 2004, airing its first two seasons on the network before changing to The CW Television Network on October 3, 2006. ...

See also

• This is one of a series of adjectives based on authors' names, such as Brechtian, Joycean, Orwellian, Pinteresque, Sadistic/Sadism, Machiavellian, and Draconian.

Bertolt Brecht (February 10, 1898 _ August 14, 1956) was an influential German dramatist, stage director, and poet of the 20th century. ... A text is deemed Joycean when it is reminiscent of the writings of James Joyce, particularly Ulysses and whatever portion of Finnegans Wake the person using the word has actually read. ... Orwellian describes a situation, idea, or condition that George Orwell identified as being inimical to the welfare of a free-society. ... Harold Pinter Harold Pinter, CH, CBE (born October 10, 1930) is a British playwright and theatre director. ... Flogging demonstration at Folsom Street Fair 2004. ... Flogging demonstration at Folsom Street Fair 2004. ... Machiavellianism is the term some social and personality psychologists use to describe a persons tendency to deceive and manipulate others for personal gain. ... Look up Draconian in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

External links

• Thefreedictionary.com
• IMDb's list of "Kafkaesque" films