Contemplation (short story collection)
Betrachtung is a collection of eighteen short stories by Franz Kafka written between 1904 and 1912. It was Kafka's first published book, printed at the end of 1912 in the Rowohlt Verlag on an initiative by Kurt Wolff.
Eight of these stories were published before under the title Betrachtungen in the bimonthly Hyperion. The collection Description of a Struggle, published in 1958, includes some of the stories In English, in whole or in part. All the stories appear in The Complete Stories of Franz Kafka and were published in a single volume edition by Twisted Spoon Press, illustrated by Fedele Spadafora. They have also been translated by Malcolm Pasley and are available in the Penguin Books edition, The Transformation and Other Stories.
The book was printed in 800 editions and had in one year sold 258 copies; it wasn't sold out until 1924, the year Kafka died.
The Stories
"Children on a Country Road"
The original German title is "". Narrated by an unnamed little child, this short story follows children's thoughts as they experience childhood nighttime escapades. The plot begins with a little child on a swing watching passing carts of laborers returning from the fields. After dinner, the children venture into the woods and play a game with other village children. The game is similar to King of the hill, where some are pushed into deep ditches by others. Later on they go to the train tracks and sing: “When you mix your voice with others you are caught like a fish on a hook.” The night ends with our narrator kissing a boy, and hearing from him rumors of the next village where the residents never sleep. This story has a tone of innocence, playfulness, and retrospection as the reader is transported into the mind of an eight- or nine-year-old. Images of big grown-ups, ever-deepening ditches, and youthful recklessness serve to further our impression of this child as an innocent adventurer. The fact that the narrator's name and gender are never specified allows the story to maintain a level of non-specificity. These themes can transcend time and place, so as to capture the thoughts of a child living at any time or any place.This story is from an unpublished second version of "Description of a Struggle".
"Unmasking a Confidence Trickster"
The original German title is "". The narrator, ostensibly a recent immigrant from the country, arrives at the doorway of a grand house, having been invited to a social engagement, accompanied by a man whose fellowship he has not solicited, and with whom the narrator is only slightly acquainted. Evidently reluctant to remain with the man any longer, the narrator prepares to enter the house, but is detained by the other, who stretches out his arm toward the house and smiles as a mood of silence overtakes them both. The narrator, snapping out of his funk, suddenly recognizes his companion for a confidence trickster who stands to take advantage of his relative naiveté, and is embarrassed that it has taken him so long to realize this fact. "Caught in the act!" says the narrator, who immediately excuses himself, and, with a sense of relief, enters the house. It is left for the reader to judge the legitimacy of his accusation.Two early drafts appear in Kafka's diaries of 1910. In 1912 he wrote that he completed "Confidence Trickster", saying of it "more or less satisfactory."
"The Sudden Walk"
The original German title is "". This contemplation tells the story of a renaissance. It is a reawakening of the human mind; the man in the story is jerked into an awareness of his own potency that arises simply out of his being human. He has been lulled into a kind of vegetable state by routine and convention; he needs a meaningless piece of work or entertainment just to occupy his sleeping mind. As petty excuses run through his mind, a “fit of restlessness” raises him to his feet. What is it inside this man that slaps him awake from his customary lethargy? His mind has changed suddenly, and he has to redress himself before he goes out and “rediscovers himself down in the street.” At first, the man is especially aware of the power of his body: “your limbs responding with particular agility to the unexpected freedom you have procured for them.” Then he is overcome by the power of a decisive act: action has the ability to change. The man’s awareness of his being has given him independence, but it has not entirely isolated him. He has broken away from his family, who are headed for “the void”, but awareness of his ability to act allows him to seek companionship; perhaps in staying among his sleepy family members, the man was isolating himself from his friends. Perhaps friendship and love are only possible for an active person.Appeared in Kafka's diaries in 1912.
"Resolutions"
The original German title is "". "Resolutions" begins with the narrator planning to put on a false exterior and pretend to be something he is not. He must hide his “miserable mood” and act as though he is happy and social. He plans how he will behave towards A, B and C even though he knows it will all be false. He soon realizes that with just one slip in this act, he will ruin his social exterior and reveal to A, B and C his true feelings. He then decides it would be better to just erase all emotions and act neither happy nor depressed, but rather like an animal observing. It rises into question whether or not putting on an act is really worth it. Do we really need to pretend to be happy or social when all we truly want to do is sulk in a chair? The narrator claims it is easier to just to “throttle down whatever ghostly life remains in you” and refrain from any sort of human actions.From his diaries, 1911.
"Excursion into the Mountains"
The original German title is "". "Excursion into the Mountains" is a passage about an individual isolating himself from reality. The passage is written in the first person, allowing the reader to fully connect to the thoughts and emotions of the speaker. Kafka's works often depict a passive individual who wants to stray away from the realities of life; this passage is no different, “I cried without being heard, I do not know, if nobody comes, then nobody comes…a pack of nobodies would be rather fine”. The narrator illustrates self-imposed isolation through images of mountains, a group of “nobodies” linked together going through the mountains, and the vivid image of the “nobodies” happily scavenging through the mountains. This is ironic because the reader can depict these images in any way they want, but based on the descriptions by Kafka it seems to be that the speaker is alone and him going into the mountains with this group of “nobodies” is him isolating himself from society.From "Description of a Struggle".
"Bachelor's Ill Luck"
The original German title is "". Also called “The Fate of a Bachelor,” this story is written in the third person. The narrator is describing the life of a bachelor and the increasing loneliness of that comes with the passing of time and no one with whom to share it. For example, the narrator imagines the bachelor lying sick in a room that is empty of any family to care for him, or having to repeatedly explain to others that he does not have any children of his own. The dominant motif in this story is loneliness."The Businessman"
The original German title is "". This short story is narrated through the perspective of a businessman. It is spoken in first person. In a world where he is experiencing a never-ending feeling of dissatisfaction, the businessman lives a mentally desolate life. He begins with describing the mental and physical stress that his work causes him such as aches, worry, anxiety, and fear. Although he is surrounded by other individuals and finds himself worrying about their problems, they are “strangers; their circumstances remain a mystery to me ”. He imagines that these secretive individuals are having a far grander time than he is; “They have grown extravagant and are giving a banquet in some restaurant garden, and others are stopping off at this party”. When he gets off work, he is liberated from the stressful demands of his business. He goes further to describe his excitement and anticipation for this time that he has to do whatever he wishes. He turns this anticipation, however, to no purpose and he simply decides to walk home and suddenly the tone of the passage swings to slightly depressing and lonesome. His imagination wanders and he paints a vivid picture in the reader’s mind of an out of body experience that occurs when he gets to the elevator in his apartment building. He describes a man being robbed and then walking “sorrowfully” down a street alone; one can make an analogy that the businessman is being robbed of his soul and is being taken advantage of by his ceaseless work. The businessman feels he is in battle with his own personal needs of happiness and the “incessant demands of my business”. At the end of the story, although it is obvious that he has gained wealth from his business, he is lonely and unsatisfied."Absent-minded Window-gazing"
The original German title is "". The story is also known as "A Stray Glance From The Window". Early in the story, the sky was blue, then the speaker observes a little girl, strolling along with the light on her face, when she suddenly falls into the shadow of a man, briskly approaching her. Then the man passes her and "by then the face of the child is quite bright.""The Way Home"
The original German title is "". This story is told in first person by an unknown narrator as he walks home along a street after a thunderstorm. The power of the newly calmed air brings him to reflect upon his power over everything that happens along the street. This reflection leads him to weigh his past against his future, and he concludes that there is nothing to criticize in his life except for his unjust amount of good fortune.Although the narrator can find no imperfections in his life, the tone is not boastful. Instead, the narrator is simply contemplating the importance of his life and his accomplishments. The tone even becomes slightly melancholic as the narrator fails to find a meaning in his life, despite all his good fortune. It is not until he reenters his house, that the narrator enters into a state of true internal mediation and evaluation. He tries to find some aspect of his life to reflect upon, but finds nothing of importance. He throws open the window, unlocking a gate to reveal the outside world, while music pours in. This breach in the shelter of his house allows real life to intrude upon his realm of contemplation, banishing any opportunity for a true reflection.