A Collective Approach to Kafka’s Characteristic Structure and Spiritual Atmosphere in His Works

Abstract

Franz Kafka is recognized as one of the leading writers of contemporary German literature. His life and work continue to attract the attention of researchers, the literature and the art world. This study aims to reveal Kafka's character structure and the spiritual atmosphere in his works with a collective approach using hermeneutic and psychoanalytic methodologies through his novels The Castle, The Trial and The Metamorphosis, which are among his well-known works. Without evaluating the novels one by one, the images considered within the framework of the general atmosphere of the novels are interpreted with a collective and holistic perspective. Kafka includes basic existential feelings, such as anxiety and alienation, that are unique to humans in his works, and he fictionalizes characters who try to hold on to life and give it meaning. He skillfully blends real and fantastic elements throughout his narratives. He skillfully depicts how the social problems of the modern world turn into a hopeless and merciless scene for people. The messages he gives in his works transform him into a writer who transcends his time and makes it permanent and up-to-date. Although his friends described him as an extremely cheerful and relaxed, Kafka's personality and character structure are not reflected in his works, and he even conflicts with the subjects and atmosphere he deals with in his works.