[stylist] On Kafka

[Bridgit Pollpeter]

Brenda,

Kafka weaved his political and religious views into most his writing. He
uses magical realism a lot, which can be anything from a heightened
sense of reality to including a magical thread into a reality-based
story. I've only read Metamorphosis, which is intended as a metaphor,
but it is a bit strange. Also keep in mind that Kafka is German, and
those Germans can be a bit strange, smile! His reading isn't light
reading, and I think reading work like his is supplemented by a
discussion since there will ultimately be different interpretations and
opinions since his work is largely political in nature.

Sincerely,
Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
Read my blog at:
http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/
 
"History is not what happened; history is what was written down."
The Expected One- Kathleen McGowan

Message: 29
Date: Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:01:52 -0500
From: Brenda <bjnite at windstream.net>
To: Writer's Division Mailing List <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [stylist] More on a book discussion/review
Message-ID: <4EDDA1C0.8040407 at windstream.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

I normally don't read horror except Dean Kunzt.  I only read Seize the 
Night and the sequel because my boss loaned me the books years ago.  I 
like how the hero had a disability that he overcame.  I did find a 
little too much explaining and not just showing by his actions, but it 
was good that a person with a disability was shown in a positive light.

I have read some Sue Grafton books.  A is for Alibi, B is for Burglary, 
etc because they were sent by NLS when i was receiving books from them.

They are light reading and I like the descriptions.

I read the short story "A Country Doctor" by Franz Kafka in college.  I 
never understood it, so I read it again while I was at the hotel after 
my fire.  I still don't understand Kafka.  That short story was in a 
collection of his works so I read a few more.  They were really weird, 
and despite the explanatory notes, I still don't understand him.  I 
don't consider them horror, just surreal and really weird.

I have enjoyed James Michener.  You can really get a history lesson 
reading his books.  Thing is, he covers a lot of minorities - historical

accounts of what happened to the Native Americans and the African 
Americans and how they were treated but I have never found a character 
in his books who had a disability.  This stood out after I began reading

"Why I burned my book and other stories" (can't remember the author, but

it was on BARD) |where it was pointed out that people with disabilities 
were often kept from immigrating to the united States

Well, it is late and there are lots of things I could fix in the above, 
but if I didn't post now I never would.

I am looking forward to reading books I never would have tried to read 
on my own.
Brenda