Singing as Gesture:Kafka's Josephine,the Singer or the Mouse Folk
Kafka's last novel Josephine,the Singer or the Mouse Folk is a summary of his whole creation.Throughout the story,the narrator tries to explain whether Josephine is singing or not,and what is the relationship between Josephine and the Folk.Josephine performed singing with special gesture,distinguishing her singing from the pipes of ordinary people.Her performance was based on the common language of the nation and thus attracted the folks'attention.The struggling folks cannot reach the artistic realm of music.Josephine's action that she claimed was carried out for the purpose of singing actually got rid of the binary relationship between purpose and means,and created a quiet and peaceful gap for the nation through the intermediary gesture.The nation refused to grant Josephine special privileges and then protected her under the common laws of the nation,preventing her from annihilating in art.Josephine's singing is also a reflection of Kafka's writing gesture.
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