"The Hunger Artist"

Paper Summary:

This paper provides a summary, review and analysis of Kafka's "The Hunger Artist." It also includes a personal reaction in the summary.

From the Paper:

"Franz Kafka was a Czech-born author whose short story, "The Hunger Artist," provides us with a glimpse into humanity's soul. According to the research, Kafka suffered from poor health and depression all of his life, and he spent several years in sanitariums. Although he devoted all of his spare time to writing, none of his novels were published during his lifetime. Before his death from tuberculosis in 1924, Kafka asked a friend to destroy his manuscripts. They were preserved, however, and "The Hunger Artist" was published in 1924. According to Dr. Felice Aull, in this work, Kafka tells a story of a "hunger artist" who finds himself at the pinnacle of his career with nowhere to go. Dr. Aull says that, "In the old days people would enthusiastically observe the artist as he fasted, some of them watching carefully for surreptitious snacking. In those times 40 days was the limit of fasting; on the 40th day, the artist's cage was decked in flowers as he emerged to the ministrations of doctors and the crowd's applause" (Aull, 2000, 3) However, as the public interest in the art of fasting as a medium of entertainment begins to decline, the hunger artist (let's call him "Art") looks for a way to keep performing while perfecting his act -- at least that is what Franz would have us believe."

More papers on "The Hunger Artist":

• Book Review # 95623 : "'The Hunger Artist'"
• Comparison Essay # 50865 : "Kafka's "The Metamorphosis" and "The Hunger Artist"
• Book Review # 98073 : "A Hunger Artist"

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