To think about for gentlemen riders

For gentlemen riders to think about is a prose sketch by Franz Kafka . It appeared in 1913 in the collection of 18 prose texts entitled Contemplation .

content

The text consists of a list of reasons why it may seem pointless to a gentleman rider to win a horse race.

Text analysis and interpretation approach

The text begins with the central statement that there is nothing that could encourage a person to want to win a race. The narrator then goes into precise details in order to support this claim.

As a first point, the narrator addresses the joy of winning when playing the winning anthem and says that one should be ashamed of it in retrospect, since it cannot be kept in check "when the orchestra starts". Then the reaction of the opponents is described, with the main focus of the narrator on their influence, which is now against their own favor. Furthermore, the narrator describes with absurd accuracy the negative effects that a victory must have on the friends and the ladies.

The seemingly coherent argument gives the reader the impression that the winner, in contrast to everyone else present, must appear ridiculous and pitiful. The devaluation of the winner is reinforced by the fact that the narrator reports at the end: " Finally it is even starting to rain from the cloudy sky." (It is not emphasized in the original, but for clarity.)

expenditure

• Franz Kafka. All the stories . Published by Paul Raabe . Fischer-Taschenbuch-Verlag, 1970. ISBN 3-596-21078-X .
• Franz Kafka. The stories . Original version Fischer Verlag 1997 Roger Herms ISBN 3-596-13270-3
• Franz Kafka: Prints during his lifetime. Edited by Wolf Kittler, Hans-Gerd Koch and Gerhard Neumann . Fischer Verlag, Frankfurt / Main 1996, ISBN 3-10-038152-1 , p. 30/31.

Secondary literature

• Peter-André Alt : Franz Kafka: The Eternal Son. A biography. Verlag CH Beck, 2005, ISBN 3-406-53441-4

Web links

Wikisource: thought-provoking for gentlemen riders  - sources and full texts