The Aesthetics of Subjectivity: Deceptive Detachment in the Works of Franz Kafka

Subjectivity has been a thorny issue within discussions of literary works since its genesis in the Romantic period. The term refers to how much of the narrator’s/author’s personality has seeped into their work. This is usually discernable by how non-neutral, partial or impassioned the narrator’s voice is. All of these aspects can create a perceived lively portrait of the author, and no author seems as well perceived and closely associated with their work as Franz Kafka. Despite the apparent subjectivity of Kafka, he nevertheless adopts the objective features of Flaubertian Realism; describing everything in a detached, realistic, impartial and unimpassioned detail. Where his subjectivity is found is in the worlds of his novels which are made up of psychological phenomena transformed into complex imagery. Thus Kafka’s exploration of subjectivity is unique. His worlds are subjective representations of the protagonist that simultaneously draw attention to the fallibility and limitations of their perception, yet are all presented through an objective style of writing. This essay will thus argue that subjectivity can be expressed through unconventional means creating a clear sense of a subjective narrator.