Oschmann, Dirk: Freiheit und Fremdheit. Kafkas Romane. Schwabe Verlag Basel: 2021. 255 Seiten, ohne Preisangabe. [Wissenschaftliche Buchreihe: Signaturen der Moderne 03]. ISBN 978-3-7965-4339-5

Abstract

Abstract The present contribution provides an analysis of Dirk Oschmann’s volume, Freiheit und Fremdheit. Kafkas Romane [Freedom and Foreignness. Kafka’s novels]. The main idea, already announced in the title, is followed throughout the entire volume. A corpus of texts consisting of Kafka’s three novels and some of his best short stories is analyzed (Die Verwandlung, Bericht für eine Akademie, and In der Strafkolonie). The selected texts are considered stories of internal or external displacement that address and depict freedom and foreignness mostly using spatial displacement. The method used is close reading, the author carefully interprets text passages, goes into details, nuances of meaning, and linguistic features of the Kafkaesque texts. The analysis draws on syntagms and statements made by characters who discuss these themes.