Desire to become an Indian

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Desire to become an Indian is a prose sketch by Franz Kafka consisting of just a few lines , which was published in 1913 in the anthology Consideration .

content

The desire to become an Indian is conjured up for the idea of ​​getting rid of the spurs first, then the reins on a running horse. And already the rider sees himself without a horse's neck or head.

linguistic style

The little sketch consists of a single sentence in the form of possibility . It is often lengthened by subordinate clauses and seems breathless. In terms of language, dynamics are presented without being down to earth. The formulations like “crooked in the air” and “briefly trembled over the shaking ground” give the impression of a flight rather than a ride.

Text analysis and interpretation approach

Throwing away the spurs and the reins still seems conclusive. Riding Indians use neither spurs nor reins. However, the fact that the horse's neck and horse's head evaporate in view of the vast country opens up an unreal view. The parts to which the rider could hold on, i.e. his fixed points, disappear.

The opening sentence suggests the wishful thinking of children. The further execution appears like a detachment from matter, like a manic search for freedom and adventure, which at the same time expresses uncertainty without a reference point.

expenditure

Secondary literature

  • Chr. Bezzel: Nature at Kafka. Studies on the aesthetics of the poetic sign . Hans Carl, Nuremberg 1964.
  • Hartmut Binder , Kafka commentary on all the stories (Winkler Vlg., Munich 1975), pp. 115–16.
  • James Rolleston: 'Die Erzählungen: das Frühwerk', in: H. Binder (Ed.), Kafka-Handbuch , Vol. 2 (A. Kröner Vlg, Stuttgart 1979), pp. 252-53.
  • Karl Hotz: '"Desire to become an Indian". Report on a Kafka Project ', Discussion Deutsch 14 (1983) No. 72, pp. 418-33.
  • Hartmut Binder: '"Desiderio di diventare un indiano" e altri sogni di fanciullo. I libri preferiti di Kafka ', in: G. Farese (Ed.), Kafka oggi (Adriatica, Bari 1986), pp. 165-88.
  • Micha Wertheim: Desire to become an Indian: een onderzoek naar de betekenis van het reismotief in het werk en leven van Franz Kafka [...: An investigation into the meaning of the travel motive in the work and life of Franz Kafka]. Doctoral thesis in cultural studies, Maastricht University. Companion: A. Labrie; second assessor: H. Pott. Maastricht, 1998.
  • Peter-André Alt : Franz Kafka - The Eternal Son . Verlag CH Beck, Munich 2005, ISBN 3-406-53441-4 .

Inspired by Kafka's story:

  • Peter Henisch: About the desire to become an Indian. How Franz Kafka met Karl May and still did not end up in America (Fischer Taschenbuch, 12868). Frankfurt / M .: Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag, 1996. - See WF Quirk: 'Der Roman als Séance. Literature, representation and written form in Peter Henisch's Vom Wunsch zum Indianer zu werden ', in: W. Grünzweig & G. Fuchs (Eds.), Peter Henisch (Dossier, 21) (Graz: Droschl, 2003), pp. 118–32 .

Web links

Wikisource: Desire to Become an Indian  - Sources and Full Texts