Editing Franz Kafka (section)

=== "Kafkaesque" ===
{{Redirect|Kafkaesque|the Breaking Bad episode|Kafkaesque (Breaking Bad)}}
The term "'''Kafkaesque'''" is used to describe concepts and situations reminiscent of Kafka's work, particularly {{lang|de|Der Prozess}} (''[[The Trial]]'') and ''Die Verwandlung'' (''[[The Metamorphosis]]'').<ref>“[[mwod:Kafkaesque|Kafkaesque]].” ''Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary''. Retrieved 1 March 2021.</ref> Examples include instances in which bureaucracies overpower people, often in a [[Surrealism|surreal]], nightmarish milieu that evokes feelings of senselessness, disorientation, and helplessness. Characters in a Kafkaesque setting often lack a clear course of action to escape a [[labyrinthine]] situation. Kafkaesque elements often appear in [[Existentialism#Influence outside philosophy|existential works]], but the term has transcended the literary realm to apply to real-life occurrences and situations that are incomprehensibly complex, bizarre, or illogical.{{sfn|Steinhauer|1983|pp=390–408}}{{sfn|Adams|2002|pp=140–157}}{{sfn|Aizenberg|1986|pp=11–19}}{{sfn|Strelka|1984|pp=434–444}}

Numerous films and television works have been described as Kafkaesque, and the style is particularly prominent in dystopian science fiction. Works in this genre that have been thus described include [[Patrick Bokanowski]]'s film ''[[The Angel (1982 film)|The Angel]]'' (1982), [[Terry Gilliam]]'s film ''[[Brazil (1985 film)|Brazil]]'' (1985), and [[Alex Proyas]]' science fiction [[film noir]], ''[[Dark City (1998 film)|Dark City]]'' (1998). Films from other genres which have been similarly described include [[Roman Polanski]]'s ''[[The Tenant]]'' (1976), [[Joseph Losey]]’s ''[[Monsieur Klein]]'' (1976)<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/09/09/the-hour-of-reckoning-descends-in-mr-klein|access-date=2 July 2024|title=The Hour of Reckoning Descends in ''Mr. Klein''|author=[[Anthony Lane]]|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|date=30 August 2019}}</ref> and the [[Coen brothers]]' ''[[Barton Fink]]'' (1991).{{sfn|Palmer|2004|pp=159–192}} The television series ''[[The Prisoner]]'' and ''[[The Twilight Zone]]'' are also frequently described as Kafkaesque.{{sfn|O'Connor|1987}}{{sfn|''Los Angeles Times''|2009}}

However, with common usage, the term has become so ubiquitous that Kafka scholars note it is often misused.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/29/nyregion/the-essence-of-kafkaesque.html|title=The Essence of 'Kafkaesque'|author=Ivana Edwards|date=29 December 1991|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=26 June 2024|archive-date=18 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180418032108/https://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/29/nyregion/the-essence-of-kafkaesque.html|url-status=live}}</ref> More accurately then, according to author [[Ben Marcus]], paraphrased in "What it Means to be Kafkaesque" by Joe Fassler in ''[[The Atlantic]]'', "Kafka's quintessential qualities are affecting use of language, a setting that straddles fantasy and reality, and a sense of striving even in the face of bleakness—hopelessly and full of hope."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/01/what-it-really-means-to-be-kafkaesque/283096/|title=What It Really Means to Be 'Kafkaesque'|first=Joe|last=Fassler|date=January 2014|work=[[The Atlantic]]|access-date=7 March 2017|archive-date=29 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180129194710/https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/01/what-it-really-means-to-be-kafkaesque/283096/|url-status=live}}</ref>