"Narrentum" and Being-Jewish: Kafka and Benjamin

This essay examines the notion of Narrentum (foolishness) in Franz Kafka's writings, reflecting Walter Benjamin's engagement with the legacy of Kafka's fools. The Narr, associated with playfulness, irony, and resistance, provides a comic perspective on the question of being-Jewish. Al...

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Nebentitel:"Special Section: Stéphane Mosès and the Invention of German Jewish Modernity"
1. VerfasserIn: Shaḥar, Galili 1970- (VerfasserIn)
Medienart: Elektronisch Aufsatz
Sprache:Englisch
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Veröffentlicht: De Gruyter 2021
In: Naharaim
Jahr: 2021, Band: 15, Heft: 1, Seiten: 57-72
weitere Schlagwörter:B Franz Kafka
B Walter Benjamin
B German-Jewish literature
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Zusammenfassung:This essay examines the notion of Narrentum (foolishness) in Franz Kafka's writings, reflecting Walter Benjamin's engagement with the legacy of Kafka's fools. The Narr, associated with playfulness, irony, and resistance, provides a comic perspective on the question of being-Jewish. Alongside its Germanic, mostly Baroque, heritage, the Narr incorporates traditional Jewish tropes, primarily rooted in Aggadic traditions. However, in Kafka's world, the Narr embodies performative skills also linked to Yiddish theatre. In Benjamin's readings, Kafka's Narr is associated with the crisis of modern Judaism and with different modes of wisdom. The Narr signifies particular sorts of nihilistic freedom, which Benjamin refers to as redemptive.
ISSN:1862-9156
Enthält:Enthalten in: Naharaim
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1515/naha-2021-0002