Kafka's Prayer
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''Kafka's Prayer'' is a 1947 book-length analysis of the novelist
Franz Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. It ...
and his works by
Paul Goodman Paul Goodman (1911–1972) was an American writer and public intellectual best known for his 1960s works of social criticism. Goodman was prolific across numerous literary genres and non-fiction topics, including the arts, civil rights, decen ...
. Using
Freudian Sigmund Freud ( , ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating pathologies explained as originating in conflicts i ...
and Reichian psychoanalysis, Goodman assesses the philosophical and religious significance of Kafka's aphoristic statements and three novels. He levels an anarchist societal critique against social institutions borne from
neuroticism In the study of psychology, neuroticism has been considered a fundamental personality trait. For example, in the Big Five approach to personality trait theory, individuals with high scores for neuroticism are more likely than average to be moody ...
. Goodman used the book, published by
Vanguard Press The Vanguard Press (1926–1988) was a United States publishing house established with a $100,000 grant from the left wing American Fund for Public Service, better known as the Garland Fund. Throughout the 1920s, Vanguard Press issued an array of ...
, to grapple with the religious implications of psychoanalysis and transition from a career writing on Jewish concerns to a period that would culminate in his collaboration on the founding work of the
gestalt therapy Gestalt therapy is a form of psychotherapy that emphasizes personal responsibility and focuses on the individual's experience in the present moment, the therapist–client relationship, the environmental and social contexts of a person's life, ...
movement. Many reviewers and commentators felt that Goodman overanalyzed Kafka and overextended specific symbolism, with farfetched or reductive speculation and obscure personal referents. Goodman's
monograph A monograph is a specialist work of writing (in contrast to reference works) or exhibition on a single subject or an aspect of a subject, often by a single author or artist, and usually on a scholarly subject. In library cataloging, ''monograph ...
was the first on Kafka in the English language and holds an idiosyncratic place in Kafka studies.


Contents

''Kafka's Prayer'' is a book of
literary criticism Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of literature's goals and methods. Th ...
by
Paul Goodman Paul Goodman (1911–1972) was an American writer and public intellectual best known for his 1960s works of social criticism. Goodman was prolific across numerous literary genres and non-fiction topics, including the arts, civil rights, decen ...
about the works of novelist
Franz Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. It ...
. The book's title comes from a statement by Kafka that "writing is a form of prayer". Goodman, the critic, holds that Kafka, as a "sick consciousness", used his literature as a prayer to lift from near-psychotic, self-punishing fear. Despite this anxious melancholy, Goodman argues that moments of Kafka show the release of "natural powers" and "natural morality", revealing man's "general freedom". Goodman encourages Kafka to be read as a procession of self-release, to find life in the escape from misery and repression. The book's first section analyzes the religious and philosophical significance of Kafka's aphorisms and statements. Goodman's analysis of Kafka's shorter parables and aphorisms relies on
religious existentialism Existentialism ( ) is a form of philosophical inquiry that explores the problem of human existence and centers on human thinking, feeling, and acting. Existentialist thinkers frequently explore issues related to the meaning, purpose, and valu ...
and
Taoism Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of Philosophy, philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of China, Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmo ...
, while the rest of his criticism rests in Freudian interpretation by dint of
Wilhelm Reich Wilhelm Reich ( , ; 24 March 1897 – 3 November 1957) was an Austrian Doctor of Medicine, doctor of medicine and a psychoanalysis, psychoanalyst, along with being a member of the second generation of analysts after Sigmund Freud. The author ...
. His book descends into a psychopathology of Kafka as expressed through his fiction or theology. Goodman's Freudian analysis of Kafka's novels '' Amerika'', ''
The Trial ''The Trial'' (german: Der Process, link=no, previously , and ) is a novel written by Franz Kafka in 1914 and 1915 and published posthumously on 26 April 1925. One of his best known works, it tells the story of Josef K., a man arrested and pr ...
'', and '' The Castle'' connects Kafka's neurotic tensions and repressions, such as guilt,
self-hatred Self-hatred is personal self-loathing or hatred of oneself, or low self-esteem which may lead to self-harm. In psychology and psychiatry The term "self-hatred" is used infrequently by psychologists and psychiatrists, who would usually describe ...
,
narcissism Narcissism is a self-centered personality style characterized as having an excessive interest in one's physical appearance or image and an excessive preoccupation with one's own needs, often at the expense of others. Narcissism exists on a co ...
,
homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...
, familial fixations, with Kafka's fictional drama. For example, ''The Trial'' paranoia stems from repressed homosexuality and
delusions of reference Ideas of reference and delusions of reference describe the phenomenon of an individual experiencing innocuous events or mere coincidences and believing they have strong personal significance. It is "the notion that everything one perceives in the ...
. ''The Castle'', representing "constructive will", has the protagonist futilely failing to surmount obstacles of his own device. Goodman contends that Kafka's most successful work combines "prayer" (expression of need and guilt) and "dream" (psychic conflict resolved through
projection Projection, projections or projective may refer to: Physics * Projection (physics), the action/process of light, heat, or sound reflecting from a surface to another in a different direction * The display of images by a projector Optics, graphic ...
). Goodman also challenges
Max Brod Max Brod ( he, מקס ברוד; 27 May 1884 – 20 December 1968) was a German-speaking Bohemian, later Israeli, author, composer, and journalist. Although he was a prolific writer in his own right, he is best remembered as the friend and biog ...
, Kafka's literary executor, on his interpretation of Kafka's novels. A significant portion of the book is dedicated to an anarchist societal critique, grounded in the ideas of
Peter Kropotkin Pyotr Alexeyevich Kropotkin (; russian: link=no, Пётр Алексе́евич Кропо́ткин ; 9 December 1842 – 8 February 1921) was a Russian anarchist, socialist, revolutionary, historian, scientist, philosopher, and activis ...
. Goodman describes the sickness of societal institutions, such as the castle and the courts, as both created and sustained by neurotic impulse. Beneath Kafka's portrayal of "an ego closed to
instinct Instinct is the inherent inclination of a living organism towards a particular complex behaviour, containing both innate (inborn) and learned elements. The simplest example of an instinctive behaviour is a fixed action pattern (FAP), in which a v ...
", Goodman finds an admirable advocacy for community and the wisdom of instinct. Overall, Goodman takes a personal approach to his analysis, stating that while he approached the task in belligerence, "in hatred and envy" of Kafka, as "a kind of polemic and self-defense", he ultimately found himself endeared to his subject. Goodman believes Kafka to have been established as a "great writer" by both the passage of time and how reality has come to approximate Kafka's fiction.


Publication

Vanguard Press The Vanguard Press (1926–1988) was a United States publishing house established with a $100,000 grant from the left wing American Fund for Public Service, better known as the Garland Fund. Throughout the 1920s, Vanguard Press issued an array of ...
published the book in New York in 1947 with a simultaneous Canadian edition by the Copp Clark Company. It was the first English-language
monograph A monograph is a specialist work of writing (in contrast to reference works) or exhibition on a single subject or an aspect of a subject, often by a single author or artist, and usually on a scholarly subject. In library cataloging, ''monograph ...
on Kafka. Hillstone/Stonehill Publishing published a facsimile reprint in June 1976 with an introduction by Raymond Rosenthal. Goodman reused a section of the book in his published dissertation, '' The Structure of Literature'' (1954). In the arc of Goodman's development as a writer, the mid-to-late forties were when Goodman experimented with psychoanalysis and religion. He began a self-analysis in 1946, the year before he published ''Kafka's Prayer'', and came to view psychoanalysis as his religion, preferring its explanations for "animal nature, ego, and the world". ''Kafka's Prayer'' was his synthesis of those experiments and one of his early, major works in his psychoanalytic period that would culminate in his collaboration on ''
Gestalt Therapy Gestalt therapy is a form of psychotherapy that emphasizes personal responsibility and focuses on the individual's experience in the present moment, the therapist–client relationship, the environmental and social contexts of a person's life, ...
'' (1951). At the time of publication, Goodman had been making a career on publishing on Jewish concerns, in this case, Kafka's Judaism. He used the book to grapple with the religious implications of psychoanalysis, a theme that recurred throughout his later work.


Reception

Many reviewers and commentators felt that Goodman overanalyzed Kafka. Goodman's speculative Freudian interpretations were so "far-fetched" and dense as to offend the reader, wrote literary critic
Philip Rahv Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...
and Goodman's
literary executor The literary estate of a deceased author consists mainly of the copyright and other intellectual property rights of published works, including film, translation rights, original manuscripts of published work, unpublished or partially completed wo ...
Taylor Stoehr. Reviewers chafed when Goodman prioritized his self-expression over his subject matter, which they described as distracting or confusing as Goodman sparred with his subject matter, leaving the reader worse off for understanding than they started. Rahv wrote that this was not the role of the literary critic, and Goodman's own idiosyncrasies exacerbated his interpretation of Kafka's, already a complex figure whose writing did not follow a simple formula. In some cases both Goodman's personally charged reading and his compression of detail worked against him, as ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' found, obscuring his many cultural allusions across religion, philosophy, education, and psychology. Some commentators noted that Goodman overextended specific symbolism. While the literary critic Kingsley Widmer did not contest the role of some familial elements in Kafka's fiction, such as his relationship with his father and marriage, the critic found Goodman's literalist and clinical interpretations of phallic and sexual imagery to be unhelpful, tiresome, and largely obtuse. For example, how Goodman extended the "paranoiac dream" of ''The Trial'' into one of "repressed homosexuality", and turned "The Burrow" into a story of the mother's body and the threat of the father's penis. These arguments, in Widmer's eyes, dampened Goodman's argument that the "natural theology" in Kafka was more allegorical of his self and psychosis than of bureaucracy. Minding these stretches of interpretation, the ''
New York Herald Tribune The ''New York Herald Tribune'' was a newspaper published between 1924 and 1966. It was created in 1924 when Ogden Mills Reid of the ''New-York Tribune'' acquired the ''New York Herald''. It was regarded as a "writer's newspaper" and competed ...
'' reviewer wondered why Goodman omitted stories with clear psychoanalytic material such as "Description of a Struggle" and "Sorrows of a Family Man". Simon O. Lesser in ''
Modern Fiction Studies ''Modern Fiction Studies'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal established in 1955 at Purdue University's Department of English, where it is still edited. It publishes general and themed issues on the topic of modernist and contemporary fiction ...
'' faults Goodman with over-conflating the story with the author. Goodman, says Lesser, judges ''The Trial'' by an "extrinsic philosophical standard" despite the novel being a projection of the author's thought and not necessarily a profession of the author's beliefs. The reviewer, however, wrote that Goodman's other insights outweighed these errors, and appreciated Goodman's biographical linkage between Kafka's warders and executors and Kafka's two brothers who died in infancy. Rahv, on the other hand, in the ''
Saturday Review of Literature ''Saturday Review'', previously ''The Saturday Review of Literature'', was an American weekly magazine established in 1924. Norman Cousins was the editor from 1940 to 1971. Under Norman Cousins, it was described as "a compendium of reportage, ess ...
'', was perplexed at the lack of evidence for this linkage. Goodman's use of psychoanalysis, said Rahv, was less of a science than a "kind of free-for-all dialectic" in which any writer could assert anything they want. Rahv thought that Goodman's utopian conclusions missed the point of Kafka's world of contingency and dread. A young
Martin Gardner Martin Gardner (October 21, 1914May 22, 2010) was an American popular mathematics and popular science writer with interests also encompassing scientific skepticism, micromagic, philosophy, religion, and literatureespecially the writings of Lewis ...
, who otherwise praised Goodman's understanding of Freud, was also startled by Goodman's suggestion that the death of Kafka's younger two brothers caused his guilt neurosis. The ''New York Times'' review challenged Goodman's assertion that little had been written about Kafka, citing a recent biography, anthology, and essays, but wrote that Goodman's analysis was among the most ambitious attempted on Kafka. Goodman's commentary, however, was on par with that which has been written before, particularly his intuition of Kafka's character, familial relationships, and occupation. Widmer too found the writing uneven compared to other period works on Kafka. But as a work of criticism, the ''New York Times'' review considered Goodman's reading of Kafka to be "profound and erudite" and Joshua Bloch, in ''
Jewish Criterion The Jewish Criterion (OCLC 2262915) whose editors included J. Leonard Levy (rabbi of Rodef Shalom) and Charles H. Joseph, was one of two weekly papers for Jews in Pittsburgh. It was published 1895-1962, with the initial editor being M. K. Susman ...
'', wrote that Goodman "brilliantly analyzed" the "subtleties of anxiety, supplication, pain, and pride" in Kafka's writing. In his assessment of Goodman's impact, Peter Parisi wrote that ''Kafka's Prayer'' had "a secure if idiosyncratic place in Kafka studies". Amidst Goodman's overall oeuvre, selections from ''Kafka's Prayer'' are among the best representations of the foundational role that literary criticism played in Goodman's thought, according to Widmer. In the trajectory of Goodman's thought, ''Kafka's Prayer'' marked where Goodman first found a dead end in Freudian psychoanalysis and turned towards existentialism and Taoist interpretations. ''Kafka's Prayer'' also marked the confluence of Goodman's anarchism and psychoanalysis, where his millenarian social thought matched excerpts from Kafka's texts. He would write that the anarchist Kropotkin's core truth, that nature heals what is left alone, is also the core of Kafka's wayward spirit of youth. Goodman concluded:


Notes


References

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External links


Full text
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Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

Excerpt on JSTOR
{{Portal bar, Books, Literature 1947 non-fiction books American non-fiction books Books by Paul Goodman Books of literary criticism English-language books Works about Franz Kafka Vanguard Press books Psychoanalytic books