Franz Kafka’s The Castle: A Foucauldian Reading

Afrouz Yari; Shahram Afrougheh

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijla.20130103.18

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Franz Kafka’s The Castle: A Foucauldian Reading

Afrouz Yari, Shahram Afrougheh

Published in International Journal of Literature and Arts (Volume 1, Issue 3)

Received: 30 November 2013 Published: 30 December 2013

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Abstract

This study detects the notion of “power” in The Castle by Franz Kafka throughout the idea of Foucauldian hierarchy, oppression, power, knowledge and resistance. Kafka in this novel shows man’s futile attempts to overcome the powerful impact of industrialism and its domination over man’s life. The Castle is a societal network and shows the characters in action in a way that strengthens and empowers a capitalist society. In Foucauldian sense, power unconsciously produces and controls everything; it necessarily does not lead to despotism. However, this power makes awareness in the public which can be seen in Kafka’s characters in this novel. In this research, the incidents taking place in The Castle will be depicted, and as a matter of fact, this study makes use of these events to magnify the abuse of power in a capitalist society. In addition, another main purpose in this research is to show how Kafka has magnified the characters institutionalized and their separation from the society. Particular focus is given to the role of Other's power that separates oppression, resistance, and hierarchy among people to promote his normalized knowledge.This paper attempts tomake a sociological study on Kafka’s The Castle.

Published in	International Journal of Literature and Arts (Volume 1, Issue 3)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijla.20130103.18
Page(s)	63-67
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2013. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Hierarchy, Oppression, Power, Knowledge, Resistance

References

[1]	Darrow, Robert Arnold. Kierkegaard, Kafka and the Strength of the Absurd in Abraham’s Sacrifice of Isaac. Maryland: Johns Hopkins University, 2005.
[2]	Foucault, Michel. Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. Harmondsworth: 1991
[3]	Mills, Sara. Michel Foucault. London: Routledge, 2003.
[4]	Robertson, Ritchie. The Castle.Trans. Anthea Bell. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.

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Afrouz Yari, Shahram Afrougheh. (2013). Franz Kafka’s The Castle: A Foucauldian Reading. International Journal of Literature and Arts, 1(3), 63-67. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20130103.18

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Afrouz Yari; Shahram Afrougheh. Franz Kafka’s The Castle: A Foucauldian Reading. Int. J. Lit. Arts 2013, 1(3), 63-67. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20130103.18

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Afrouz Yari, Shahram Afrougheh. Franz Kafka’s The Castle: A Foucauldian Reading. Int J Lit Arts. 2013;1(3):63-67. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20130103.18

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@article{10.11648/j.ijla.20130103.18,
  author = {Afrouz Yari and Shahram Afrougheh},
  title = {Franz Kafka’s The Castle: A Foucauldian Reading},
  journal = {International Journal of Literature and Arts},
  volume = {1},
  number = {3},
  pages = {63-67},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijla.20130103.18},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20130103.18},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijla.20130103.18},
  abstract = {This study detects the notion of “power” in The Castle by Franz Kafka throughout the idea of Foucauldian hierarchy, oppression, power, knowledge and resistance. Kafka in this novel shows man’s futile attempts to overcome the powerful impact of industrialism and its domination over man’s life. The Castle is a societal network and shows the characters in action in a way that strengthens and empowers a capitalist society. In Foucauldian sense, power unconsciously produces and controls everything; it necessarily does not lead to despotism. However, this power makes awareness in the public which can be seen in Kafka’s characters in this novel. In this research, the incidents taking place in The Castle will be depicted, and as a matter of fact, this study makes use of these events to magnify the abuse of power in a capitalist society. In addition, another main purpose in this research is to show how Kafka has magnified the characters institutionalized and their separation from the society. Particular focus is given to the role of Other's power that separates oppression, resistance, and hierarchy among people to promote his normalized knowledge.This paper attempts tomake a sociological study on Kafka’s The Castle.},
 year = {2013}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Franz Kafka’s The Castle: A Foucauldian Reading
AU  - Afrouz Yari
AU  - Shahram Afrougheh
Y1  - 2013/12/30
PY  - 2013
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20130103.18
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T2  - International Journal of Literature and Arts
JF  - International Journal of Literature and Arts
JO  - International Journal of Literature and Arts
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EP  - 67
PB  - Science Publishing Group
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UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20130103.18
AB  - This study detects the notion of “power” in The Castle by Franz Kafka throughout the idea of Foucauldian hierarchy, oppression, power, knowledge and resistance. Kafka in this novel shows man’s futile attempts to overcome the powerful impact of industrialism and its domination over man’s life. The Castle is a societal network and shows the characters in action in a way that strengthens and empowers a capitalist society. In Foucauldian sense, power unconsciously produces and controls everything; it necessarily does not lead to despotism. However, this power makes awareness in the public which can be seen in Kafka’s characters in this novel. In this research, the incidents taking place in The Castle will be depicted, and as a matter of fact, this study makes use of these events to magnify the abuse of power in a capitalist society. In addition, another main purpose in this research is to show how Kafka has magnified the characters institutionalized and their separation from the society. Particular focus is given to the role of Other's power that separates oppression, resistance, and hierarchy among people to promote his normalized knowledge.This paper attempts tomake a sociological study on Kafka’s The Castle.
VL  - 1
IS  - 3
ER  -

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Author Information

Afrouz Yari

M. A. of English Literature, Islamic Azad University, Boroujerd Branch, Iran
Shahram Afrougheh

Assistant Professor of English Literature, Islamic Azad University, Boroujerd Branch, Iran

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Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Afrouz Yari, Shahram Afrougheh. (2013). Franz Kafka’s The Castle: A Foucauldian Reading. International Journal of Literature and Arts, 1(3), 63-67. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20130103.18

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ACS Style

Afrouz Yari; Shahram Afrougheh. Franz Kafka’s The Castle: A Foucauldian Reading. Int. J. Lit. Arts 2013, 1(3), 63-67. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20130103.18

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AMA Style

Afrouz Yari, Shahram Afrougheh. Franz Kafka’s The Castle: A Foucauldian Reading. Int J Lit Arts. 2013;1(3):63-67. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20130103.18

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@article{10.11648/j.ijla.20130103.18,
  author = {Afrouz Yari and Shahram Afrougheh},
  title = {Franz Kafka’s The Castle: A Foucauldian Reading},
  journal = {International Journal of Literature and Arts},
  volume = {1},
  number = {3},
  pages = {63-67},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijla.20130103.18},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20130103.18},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijla.20130103.18},
  abstract = {This study detects the notion of “power” in The Castle by Franz Kafka throughout the idea of Foucauldian hierarchy, oppression, power, knowledge and resistance. Kafka in this novel shows man’s futile attempts to overcome the powerful impact of industrialism and its domination over man’s life. The Castle is a societal network and shows the characters in action in a way that strengthens and empowers a capitalist society. In Foucauldian sense, power unconsciously produces and controls everything; it necessarily does not lead to despotism. However, this power makes awareness in the public which can be seen in Kafka’s characters in this novel. In this research, the incidents taking place in The Castle will be depicted, and as a matter of fact, this study makes use of these events to magnify the abuse of power in a capitalist society. In addition, another main purpose in this research is to show how Kafka has magnified the characters institutionalized and their separation from the society. Particular focus is given to the role of Other's power that separates oppression, resistance, and hierarchy among people to promote his normalized knowledge.This paper attempts tomake a sociological study on Kafka’s The Castle.},
 year = {2013}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Franz Kafka’s The Castle: A Foucauldian Reading
AU  - Afrouz Yari
AU  - Shahram Afrougheh
Y1  - 2013/12/30
PY  - 2013
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20130103.18
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijla.20130103.18
T2  - International Journal of Literature and Arts
JF  - International Journal of Literature and Arts
JO  - International Journal of Literature and Arts
SP  - 63
EP  - 67
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2331-057X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20130103.18
AB  - This study detects the notion of “power” in The Castle by Franz Kafka throughout the idea of Foucauldian hierarchy, oppression, power, knowledge and resistance. Kafka in this novel shows man’s futile attempts to overcome the powerful impact of industrialism and its domination over man’s life. The Castle is a societal network and shows the characters in action in a way that strengthens and empowers a capitalist society. In Foucauldian sense, power unconsciously produces and controls everything; it necessarily does not lead to despotism. However, this power makes awareness in the public which can be seen in Kafka’s characters in this novel. In this research, the incidents taking place in The Castle will be depicted, and as a matter of fact, this study makes use of these events to magnify the abuse of power in a capitalist society. In addition, another main purpose in this research is to show how Kafka has magnified the characters institutionalized and their separation from the society. Particular focus is given to the role of Other's power that separates oppression, resistance, and hierarchy among people to promote his normalized knowledge.This paper attempts tomake a sociological study on Kafka’s The Castle.
VL  - 1
IS  - 3
ER  -

Copy | Download