The Problem of Our Laws
- 1933 (1933) London, Martin Secker
- 1946 (1946) New York, Schocken Books
"The Problem of Our Laws" (German: "Zur Frage der Gesetze") is a short parable by Franz Kafka. It was published posthumously in Beim Bau der Chinesischen Mauer (Berlin, 1931). The first English translation by Willa and Edwin Muir was published by Martin Secker in London in 1933. It appeared in The Great Wall of China. Stories and Reflections (New York City: Schocken Books, 1946).[1]
Plot
The story is a short narrative, where laws of the land are described as esoteric, created by the elite. Thus, being such they are out of the hands by the common people, yet binding. Nobility is seen as the authority, the creator and executor of laws, yet completely separate from those whom they apply to. Yet, these laws create a sense of security among those who follow them, an empty one, since they are in fact a type of cruel joke. Incidentally, the story echoes the labyrinthine system of law and regulations in place among the official in Kafka's earlier novel, The Castle.[2] The parable has also been translated by Michael Hofmann in the London Review of Books July 6, 2015.[3]
References
- ^ The Great Wall of China: Stories and Reflections. Franz Kafka - 1946 - Schocken Books
- ^ On Kafka's Castle: a study. R Sheppard.1973 - Croom Helm
- ^ Hoffman, Michael (16 July 2015). "Franz Kafka - Short Cuts - LRB 16 July 2015". London Review of Books. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
- v
- t
- e
- The Trial
- The Castle
- Amerika
collections
- Contemplation
- A Country Doctor
- A Hunger Artist
- The Great Wall of China
- The Complete Stories
- The Sons
- The Penal Colony
- Parables and Paradoxes
- Dearest Father
- Description of a Struggle
notebooks
and essays
- Ottla Kafka (sister)
- Franz Kafka and Judaism
- Richard and Samuel
- Franz Kafka Museum
- Franz Kafka Society
- Kafka Project
- Head of Franz Kafka statue
- Statue of Franz Kafka
- Kafka's Dick (1986 play)
- The Loves of Kafka (1988 film)
- Kafka (1991 film)
- Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life (1993 film)
Category