Abstract
In this article, I examine Franz Kafka's Der Verschollene under the premise that the initial image—the sword-bearing Statue of Liberty—offers a symbolic lens for understanding many of the female characters in the novel as Amazonian women. From Johanna Brummer (and even, arguably, the Stoker) to Klara Pollunder and Brunelda, Karl Rosmann's disappearance is intimately related to his interactions with these Amazons. As opposed to the traditional protagonist of a Bildungsroman, Karl experiences subjective disintegration, which unfolds with each subsequent encounter with an Amazonian Other. I also investigate depictions of American capitalism in the early twentieth century with respect to Karl's relationships to patriarchal and matriarchal figures and consider the failure of Amazons to offer a counter-model to these prototypes. Formal elements of the text—its labyrinthine narrative structures, unexplained prolepses, and status as an unfinished fragment—are explored as constructions that lead to Karl's ultimate erasure.
Published Version
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