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| translator =
| translator =
| author = [[Franz Kafka]]
| author = [[Franz Kafka]]
| image = [[File:CountryDoctor.jpg|175px]]
| image = [[File:Franz Kafka - Mann zwischen Gittern.jpg|175px]]
| caption = ''[[A Country Doctor (collection)|Ein Landarzt]]'', first edition
| caption = Drawing by Kafka used to Illustrate the "Cathedral" chapter of ''The Trial''
| country =
| country =
| language = German
| language = German
| series =
| series =
| genre =
| genre =
| published_in = ''Selbstwehr'' (1915), ''Ein Landarzt'' (1919), ''[[The Trial|Der Process]]'' (1925)
| published_in = ''Selbstwehr'' (1915)<br>''Ein Landarzt'' (1919)<br>''[[The Trial|Der Process]]'' (1925)
| publication_type =
| publication_type =
| publisher = [[Kurt Wolff (publisher)|Kurt Wolff]] (1919)
| publisher = [[Kurt Wolff (publisher)|Kurt Wolff]] (1919)
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| followed_by =
| followed_by =
}}
}}
"'''Before the Law'''" (German: "Vor dem Gesetz") is a [[parable]] contained in the novel ''[[The Trial]]'' ({{lang-de|Der Prozess}}), by [[Franz Kafka]]. "Before the Law" was published twice in Kafka's lifetime, first in the 1915 New Year's edition of the independent Jewish weekly ''Selbstwehr'', then in 1919 as part of the collection ''[[A Country Doctor (collection)|Ein Landarzt]]'' (''A Country Doctor''). ''The Trial'', however, was not published until 1925, after Kafka's death.
"'''Before the Law'''" (German: "Vor dem Gesetz") is a short story by Czech writer [[Franz Kafka]]. It was printed twice during Kafka's life, but is best known as an [[embedded narrative]] in the posthumously published novel ''[[The Trial]]'' ({{langx|de|Der Prozess}}). "Before the Law" is described as a deliberately obscure [[parable]] or [[allegory]] on legal bureaucracy and the seeking of justice, reflecting the absurdist views on the subject expressed by Kafka in ''The Trial''.


==Plot summary==
==Plot summary==
==="Before the Law"===
==="Before the Law"===
A man from the country seeks "the law"<ref>In some English translations, the word "Law" is capitalized. Kafka's word, (''das'') ''Gesetz'', means a statute or, collectively, "the law" in general{{mdash}}as with "in the name of the law (''im Namen des Gesetzes'')". Kafka evidently means "the law" in general. In English, both capitalization and non-capitalization are literally correct as translations.</ref> and wishes to gain entry to it through an open doorway, but the doorkeeper tells the man that he cannot go through at the present time. The man asks if he can ever go through, and the doorkeeper says it is possible "but not now (''jetzt aber nicht'')". The man waits by the door for years, bribing the doorkeeper with everything he has. The doorkeeper accepts the bribes, but tells the man he only accepts them "so that you do not think you have left anything undone". The man does not attempt to murder or hurt the doorkeeper to gain entry to the law, but waits at the doorway until he is about to die. Right before his death, he asks the doorkeeper why, even though everyone seeks the law, no one else has come in all the years he has been there. The doorkeeper answers, "No one else could ever be admitted here, since this gate was made only for you. I am now going to shut it."
A man from the country seeks "the law"<ref>In some English translations, the word "Law" is capitalized. Kafka's word, (''das'') ''Gesetz'', means a statute or, collectively, "the law" in general{{mdash}}as with "in the name of the law (''im Namen des Gesetzes'')". Kafka evidently means "the law" in general. In English, both capitalization and non-capitalization are literally correct as translations.</ref> and wishes to gain entry to it through an open doorway, but the doorkeeper tells the man that he cannot go through at the present time. The man asks if he can ever go through, and the doorkeeper says it is possible "but not now (''jetzt aber nicht'')". The man waits by the door for years, bribing the doorkeeper with everything he has. The doorkeeper accepts the bribes, but tells the man he only accepts them "so that you do not think you have left anything undone". The man does not attempt to gain entry by force, but waits at the doorway until he is about to die. Right before his death, he asks the doorkeeper why, even though everyone seeks the law, no one else has come in all the years he has been there. The doorkeeper answers, "No one else could ever be admitted here, since this gate was made only for you. I am now going to shut it."


===In ''The Trial''===
===In ''The Trial''===
Josef K has to show an important client from Italy around a cathedral. The client does not show up, but just as K is leaving the cathedral, the priest calls out K's name, although K has never met the priest. The priest reveals that he is a court employee, and he tells K the story (''Before the Law''), prefacing it by saying it is from "the opening paragraphs [introductory] to the Law". The priest and K then discuss interpretations of the story before K leaves the cathedral.
Josef K has to show an important client from Italy around a cathedral. The client does not show up, but just as K is leaving the cathedral, the priest calls out K's name, although K has never met the priest. The priest reveals that he is a court employee, and he tells K the story (''Before the Law''), prefacing it by saying it is from "the opening paragraphs [introductory] to the Law". The priest and K then discuss interpretations of the story before K leaves the cathedral.


==Publication==
⚫
==References in works by other authors==
[[File:CountryDoctor.jpg|175px|thumb|''[[A Country Doctor (collection)|Ein Landarzt]]'', first edition]]
"Before the Law" was published twice in Kafka's lifetime, first in the 1915 New Year's edition of the independent Jewish weekly ''Selbstwehr'', then in 1919 as part of the collection ''[[A Country Doctor (collection)|Ein Landarzt]]'' (''A Country Doctor''). ''The Trial'', however, was not published until 1925, after Kafka's death.


⚫
==References in other works==
The parable is referenced and reworked in the penultimate chapter of [[J. M. Coetzee]]'s novel ''[[Elizabeth Costello]]'' (2003).{{cn|date=September 2018}}


The parable is referenced and reworked in the penultimate chapter of [[J. M. Coetzee]]'s novel ''[[Elizabeth Costello]]'' (2003).<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Macfarlane |first1=Elizabeth |title=A curse on literature! A discussion of the eighth lesson of JM Coetzee's Elizabeth Costello |journal=Traffic (Parkville) |date=2006 |volume=8 |pages=181-196 |url=https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=en&user=YdeU_ogAAAAJ&citation_for_view=YdeU_ogAAAAJ:UeHWp8X0CEIC}}</ref>
⚫
[[Jacques Derrida]]'s essay of the same title examines the [[Metafiction|meta-fictional]] aspects of the structure and content of Kafka's fable, such as the placing of the title before the body of the text and also within the first line of the text itself. Derrida incorporates [[Immanuel Kant]]'s notion of the [[categorical imperative]] as well as [[Freudian psychoanalysis]] in his reading of Kafka's fable.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Foshay |first1=Raphael |title=Derrida on Kafka's 'Before the Law' |journal=Rocky Mountain Review |date=2009 |volume=63 |issue=2 |pages=194–206 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25594402?seq=1 |issn=1948-2825}}</ref>

⚫
[[Jacques Derrida]]'s essay of the same title examines the [[Metafiction|meta-fictional]] aspects of the structure and content of Kafka's fable, such as the placing of the title before the body of the text and also within the first line of the text itself. Derrida incorporates [[Immanuel Kant]]'s notion of the [[categorical imperative]] as well as [[Freudian psychoanalysis]] in his reading of Kafka's fable.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Foshay |first1=Raphael |title=Derrida on Kafka's 'Before the Law' |journal=Rocky Mountain Review |date=2009 |volume=63 |issue=2 |pages=194–206 |jstor=25594402 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25594402 |issn=1948-2825}}</ref>


The 1990 [[Robert Anton Wilson]] book ''[[Quantum Psychology]]'' contains a parable about ''Before the Law''.{{cn|date=September 2018}}
The 1990 [[Robert Anton Wilson]] book ''[[Quantum Psychology]]'' contains a parable about ''Before the Law''.{{cn|date=September 2018}}
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The 1985 [[Martin Scorsese]] film ''[[After Hours (film)|After Hours]]'' features a scene which parodies this parable.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Faber|first=Marion|title=Kafka on the Screen: Martin Scorsese's 'After Hours'|journal=Die Unterrichtspraxis / Teaching German|date=Autumn 1986|volume=19|issue=2|pages=200–5|jstor=3530703|publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]]|location=[[Hoboken, New Jersey]]|doi=10.2307/3530703}}</ref>
The 1985 [[Martin Scorsese]] film ''[[After Hours (film)|After Hours]]'' features a scene which parodies this parable.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Faber|first=Marion|title=Kafka on the Screen: Martin Scorsese's 'After Hours'|journal=Die Unterrichtspraxis / Teaching German|date=Autumn 1986|volume=19|issue=2|pages=200–5|jstor=3530703|publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]]|location=[[Hoboken, New Jersey]]|doi=10.2307/3530703}}</ref>


The post-rock band [[Long Distance Calling (band)|Long Distance Calling]] uses the spoken animated introduction sequence from the Orson Welles film adaptation of ''[[The Trial (1962 film)|The Trial]]'' in the track "Fire in the Mountain" from their 2007 album ''[[Satellite Bay]]''.{{cn|date=March 2016}}
The post-rock band [[Long Distance Calling (band)|Long Distance Calling]] uses the spoken animated introduction sequence from [[The Trial (1962 film)|the Orson Welles film adaptation of ''The Trial'']] in the track "Fire in the Mountain" from their 2007 album ''[[Satellite Bay]]''.{{cn|date=March 2016}}


American composer [[Arnold Rosner]] created "Parable of the Law", a work for baritone singer and orchestra, based on Kafka's parable.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://toccataclassics.com/product/arnold-rosner-orchestral-music-volume-two/|title=Arnold Rosner: Orchestral Music, Volume Two|date=2018-03-01|website=Toccata Classics}}</ref>
American composer [[Arnold Rosner]] created "Parable of the Law", a work for baritone singer and orchestra, based on Kafka's parable.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://toccataclassics.com/product/arnold-rosner-orchestral-music-volume-two/|title=Arnold Rosner: Orchestral Music, Volume Two|date=2018-03-01|website=Toccata Classics}}</ref>


[[Giorgio Agamben]] references the parable in his book, ''Homo Sacer: Sovereign Power and Bare Life''.
[[Giorgio Agamben]] references the parable in his book, ''Homo Sacer: Sovereign Power and Bare Life''.

[[Mandy Patinkin]]'s character references<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://tvshowtranscripts.ourboard.org/viewtopic.php?f=836&t=44947|title=S05e03 - and the Court Had a Clerk... - the Good Fight Transcripts - TVT}}</ref> the parable in an episode of ''[[The Good Fight]]''.


==References==
==References==
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{{Wikisourcelang|de|Vor dem Gesetz}}
{{Wikisourcelang|de|Vor dem Gesetz}}
* [https://johnstoniatexts.x10host.com/kafka/beforethelawhtml.html An English translation of 'Before the Law'.]
* [https://johnstoniatexts.x10host.com/kafka/beforethelawhtml.html An English translation of 'Before the Law'.]
* [https://wordandsilence.com/2019/03/26/kafkas-great-fable-before-the-law/ An English translation of "Before the Law" by Breon Mitchell], from the Corrected Text of ''The Trial''
* {{librivox book | title=Before the Law | author=Franz Kafka}}
* {{librivox book | title=Before the Law | author=Franz Kafka}}


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[[Category:Short stories about law]]
[[Category:Short stories about law]]
[[Category:1915 short stories]]
[[Category:1915 short stories]]
[[Category:Creative works in fiction]]

Latest revision as of 02:47, 3 December 2024

"Before the Law"
Short story by Franz Kafka
Drawing by Kafka used to Illustrate the "Cathedral" chapter of The Trial
Original titleVor dem Gesetz
LanguageGerman
Publication
Published inSelbstwehr (1915)
Ein Landarzt (1919)
Der Process (1925)
PublisherKurt Wolff (1919)
Publication date1915

"Before the Law" (German: "Vor dem Gesetz") is a short story by Czech writer Franz Kafka. It was printed twice during Kafka's life, but is best known as an embedded narrative in the posthumously published novel The Trial (German: Der Prozess). "Before the Law" is described as a deliberately obscure parable or allegory on legal bureaucracy and the seeking of justice, reflecting the absurdist views on the subject expressed by Kafka in The Trial.

Plot summary

[edit]

"Before the Law"

[edit]

A man from the country seeks "the law"[1] and wishes to gain entry to it through an open doorway, but the doorkeeper tells the man that he cannot go through at the present time. The man asks if he can ever go through, and the doorkeeper says it is possible "but not now (jetzt aber nicht)". The man waits by the door for years, bribing the doorkeeper with everything he has. The doorkeeper accepts the bribes, but tells the man he only accepts them "so that you do not think you have left anything undone". The man does not attempt to gain entry by force, but waits at the doorway until he is about to die. Right before his death, he asks the doorkeeper why, even though everyone seeks the law, no one else has come in all the years he has been there. The doorkeeper answers, "No one else could ever be admitted here, since this gate was made only for you. I am now going to shut it."

In The Trial

[edit]

Josef K has to show an important client from Italy around a cathedral. The client does not show up, but just as K is leaving the cathedral, the priest calls out K's name, although K has never met the priest. The priest reveals that he is a court employee, and he tells K the story (Before the Law), prefacing it by saying it is from "the opening paragraphs [introductory] to the Law". The priest and K then discuss interpretations of the story before K leaves the cathedral.

Publication

[edit]
Ein Landarzt, first edition

"Before the Law" was published twice in Kafka's lifetime, first in the 1915 New Year's edition of the independent Jewish weekly Selbstwehr, then in 1919 as part of the collection Ein Landarzt (A Country Doctor). The Trial, however, was not published until 1925, after Kafka's death.

References in other works

[edit]

The parable is referenced and reworked in the penultimate chapter of J. M. Coetzee's novel Elizabeth Costello (2003).[2]

Jacques Derrida's essay of the same title examines the meta-fictional aspects of the structure and content of Kafka's fable, such as the placing of the title before the body of the text and also within the first line of the text itself. Derrida incorporates Immanuel Kant's notion of the categorical imperative as well as Freudian psychoanalysis in his reading of Kafka's fable.[3]

The 1990 Robert Anton Wilson book Quantum Psychology contains a parable about Before the Law.[citation needed]

The 1985 Martin Scorsese film After Hours features a scene which parodies this parable.[4]

The post-rock band Long Distance Calling uses the spoken animated introduction sequence from the Orson Welles film adaptation of The Trial in the track "Fire in the Mountain" from their 2007 album Satellite Bay.[citation needed]

American composer Arnold Rosner created "Parable of the Law", a work for baritone singer and orchestra, based on Kafka's parable.[5]

Giorgio Agamben references the parable in his book, Homo Sacer: Sovereign Power and Bare Life.

Mandy Patinkin's character references[6] the parable in an episode of The Good Fight.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ In some English translations, the word "Law" is capitalized. Kafka's word, (das) Gesetz, means a statute or, collectively, "the law" in general—as with "in the name of the law (im Namen des Gesetzes)". Kafka evidently means "the law" in general. In English, both capitalization and non-capitalization are literally correct as translations.
  2. ^ Macfarlane, Elizabeth (2006). "A curse on literature! A discussion of the eighth lesson of JM Coetzee's Elizabeth Costello". Traffic (Parkville). 8: 181–196.
  3. ^ Foshay, Raphael (2009). "Derrida on Kafka's 'Before the Law'". Rocky Mountain Review. 63 (2): 194–206. ISSN 1948-2825. JSTOR 25594402.
  4. ^ Faber, Marion (Autumn 1986). "Kafka on the Screen: Martin Scorsese's 'After Hours'". Die Unterrichtspraxis / Teaching German. 19 (2). Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons: 200–5. doi:10.2307/3530703. JSTOR 3530703.
  5. ^ "Arnold Rosner: Orchestral Music, Volume Two". Toccata Classics. 2018-03-01.
  6. ^ "S05e03 - and the Court Had a Clerk... - the Good Fight Transcripts - TVT".
[edit]
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