Kafka Unveiled: Guilt, Desire and the Law
Hosted By: My Jewish Learning
When Franz Kafka died at the age of 40, exactly 100 years ago, almost no one was familiar with his few published works. Today, he is one of the most revered fiction writers of the past several hundred years, a philosophical social critic who drew on his unique worldview and his Jewishness to create timeless stories and parables.
In this new course from My Jewish Learning, you will delve into the unfulfilled longings and moral dilemmas that haunt some of Kafka’s iconic texts. Leading Kafka scholar Benjamin Balint — author of “Kafka’s Last Trial,” which won the prestigious Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature in 2020 — will guide you through short stories and some of Kafka’s famous aphorisms, analyzing how the famed novelist navigated guilt, desire and the law.
The course takes place in four live, one-hour online sessions on Zoom, and in case you have to miss a session, all students will receive recordings of the classes that won’t expire. Each week, you’ll receive short texts — such as Kafka’s most chilling story, “In the Penal Colony,” and the legendary parable “Before the Law” — to read before class.
Don’t miss the chance to dive deep into the Kafka-esque universe this December — because 100 years later, Kafka’s work is as vital as ever.
