Kafkaesque

Kafkaesque

"Kafkaesque" is an auctorial descriptive which is used to describe concepts, situations, and ideas which are reminiscent of the literary work of Prague writer Franz Kafka, particularly his novels "The Trial", "The Castle" and "The Metamorphosis".

The term, which is quite fluid in definition, has also been described as "marked by a senseless, disorienting, often menacing complexity: "Kafkaesque bureaucracies" [http://www.infoplease.com/dictionary/Kafkaesque] 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". [http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Kafkaesque]

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.

See also

* This is one of a series of adjectives (specifically eponyms) based on authors' names, such as Brechtian, Tolkienesque, Joycean, Orwellian, Dickensian, Lovecraftian, Pinteresque, Sadistic/Sadism, Nabokovian, Byronic, Machiavellian, Cartesian, Borgesian and Draconian.

External links

* [http://www.imdb.com/keyword/kafka-esque/ IMDb's list of "Kafkaesque" films]


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Kafkaesque — prop. a. [fr. Franz Kafka, novelist; especially from his novels such as The Trial .] Frightening, threating, and bewildering in a vague and unexplicable way; of situations or regulations. Often used to describe illogical bureaucratic… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Kafkaesque — 1947, resembling situations from the writings of Franz Kafka (1883 1924), German speaking Jewish novelist born in Prague, Austria Hungary …   Etymology dictionary

  • Kafkaesque — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ relating to the Czech novelist Franz Kafka (1883 1924) or his nightmarish fictional world …   English terms dictionary

  • Kafkaesque — [käf΄kə esk′] adj. of, characteristic of, or like the writings of Kafka; specif., surreal, nightmarish, confusingly complex, etc …   English World dictionary

  • Kafkaesque — /kahf keuh esk /, adj. 1. of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or resembling the literary work of Franz Kafka: the Kafkaesque terror of the endless interrogations. 2. marked by a senseless, disorienting, often menacing complexity: Kafkaesque… …   Universalium

  • Kafkaesque — adjective Date: 1946 of, relating to, or suggestive of Franz Kafka or his writings; especially having a nightmarishly complex, bizarre, or illogical quality < Kafkaesque bureaucratic delays > …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Kafkaesque — adjective a) Marked by a senseless, disorienting, often menacing complexity. Kafkaesque bureaucracies b) Marked by surreal distortion and often a sense of impending danger …   Wiktionary

  • kafkaesque — (Roget s 3 Superthesaurus) (VOCABULARY WORD) a. [KAHF kuh ESK] surreal or nightmarish, as the writings of Franz Kafka. As the drug took effect, the captive s surroundings took on an increasingly Kafkaesque quality. SYN.: surreal, nightmarish,… …   English dictionary for students

  • Kafkaesque — Kaf•ka•esque [[t]ˌkɑf kəˈɛsk[/t]] adj. 1) lit. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of the writings of Franz Kafka 2) marked by a senseless, disorienting, often menacing complexity: Kafkaesque bureaucracies[/ex] • Etymology: 1945–50 …   From formal English to slang

  • Kafkaesque — Kaf|ka|esque [ ,kæfkə esk ] adjective complicated, confusing, and threatening …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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