Franz Kafka’s influence resonates across literature, philosophy, and popular culture, even 100 years after his death. This blog explores Kafka’s legacy, connecting his works to modern media like Seinfeld and Breaking Bad, where absurdity, confinement, and bureaucratic frustration mirror his themes. It examines Kafka’s ties to Yiddish theater, the evolution of Jewish humor, and how terms like »Kafkaesque« have permeated language and culture. From Kafka’s surreal worlds to Jerry and George’s neurotic escapades, the enduring relevance of Kafka’s vision continues to shape how we interpret modern absurdities.
One hundred years ago, at the age of 40, Franz Kafka died from complications of tuberculosis, a disease that, while largely treatable today, still claims around a million lives each year. Despite his relatively brief life, Kafka’s influence on literature, philosophy, and modern culture is undeniable. His name is recognized globally, even by those who have never read his work, his impact resonates across both literature and contemporary culture. This cultural resonance is now being explored in the German-Austrian television series Kafka (2024) by Daniel Kehlmann and David Schalko that offers a long-overdue, richly layered portrayal of Kafka’s life. The show weaves together his literature and biography so intricately that it becomes difficult to tell what Kafka wrote from what he lived. Depicting him in color, in these almost surreal yet deeply human settings, feels as alienating and darkly humorous as one might imagine Kafka’s own experience of the world to have been. I often wonder what Kafka would think if he knew the extent of his legacy.
After studying Kafka’s work, as well as the iconic American sitcom Seinfeld (1989–1998) by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, I’ve come to appreciate the strange resonance between the two. Much like Kafka’s protagonists, Seinfeld characters navigate a world where they often feel trapped, whether in Jerry’s apartment, George’s parents’ house, or the tight, obsessive infrastructure of New York City. Despite its immense size, the city can feel suffocating, much like Kafka’s own depictions of urban life. The Seinfeld characters frequently find themselves stuck in parking garages, packed into a coffee shop booth, crammed into a bathroom stall, or squeezed into a fitting room—spaces that offer both humor and an underlying sense of confinement. In the series finale, they even end up in a literal prison cell, a situation that is Kafkaesque in its absurdity and inescapable nature. While these tight spaces give rise to much of the show’s humor, they also serve as metaphors for existential entrapment—prisons where there is nowhere to breathe, think, or function, forcing the characters to obsess over trivial details and minutiae.
To some Kafka purists, this connection to Seinfeld might seem appalling. Am I comparing Larry David to Franz Kafka? How dare I! But the comparison isn’t as far-fetched as it seems. Kafka’s work was deeply influenced by the Yiddish theater he adored, and this influence carried across the Atlantic, shaping the evolution of Jewish humor in American comedy. Yiddish theatrical troupes traveling through Europe and the U.S. brought a comedic tradition rooted in absurdity and physicality, which found expression in vaudeville, Hollywood films, and television. Performers like Charlie Chaplin and the comedy duo Abbott and Costello carried forth this legacy of humor, particularly the absurdity of cluelessness. Abbott and Costello’s routines – marked by their bumbling yet shard comedic timing – deeply influenced Jerry Seinfeld, whose show echoes this dynamic. Notably, George Costanza’s middle name is Louis, a nod to Lou Costello, suggesting a deliberate homage. Through these cultural connections, Kafka’s legacy becomes intertwined with the evolution of transatlantic humor.
Kafka’s diary entries reveal his fascination with Yiddish theater and its actors, a passion that influenced his breakthrough novella, »The Judgment« (1912). The novella’s absurd father-son conflict, centered on Georg Bendemann’s doomed quest for his father’s approval, echoes the dynamics of a Yiddish play. Kafka stages the story with exaggerated physicality: a weak old father is carried to bed by his son, only to erupt into a fit of rage, dancing on the bed and sentencing his son to death by drowning. This absurdity, blending humor with horror, finds a curious parallel in Seinfeld, particularly in the Festivus episode where George Costanza’s father bellows, »Stop crying and fight your father!« These exaggerated conflicts highlight the absurdity of familial dynamics, reflecting Kafka’s influence on comedic traditions. No wonder Seinfeld has been dubbed the most Kafkaesque show on television.
It is fascinating how the term »Kafkaesque« has transcended literature, embedding itself into everyday language and popular culture. Even those who have never read Kafka seem to understand its connotations: a world of absurdity, bureaucracy, and helplessness. The term has even made its way into television, most notably in the FX series Breaking Bad (2008–2013) by Vince Gilligan. In one episode, aptly titled »Kafkaesque,« Jesse Pinkman, a character struggling with his mundane and dehumanizing work in a meth lab, describes his job to his rehab counselor: »Lots of red tape. My boss is a dick. The owner—super dick. I’m not worthy or whatever to meet him, but I guess everybody is scared of the dude. The place is full of dead-eyed douchebags, the hours suck, nobody knows what’s going on.« The counselor responds with, »Sounds kind of Kafkaesque,« to which Pinkman, clueless about what the word actually means, replies, »Yeah, totally Kafkaesque.« This scene is a brilliant satire of how Kafka’s name has become a sort of shorthand for life’s absurd frustrations. People often use the term without fully grasping its depth, much like Pinkman’s unknowing agreement.
As Michelle Woods writes in Kafka Translated, this scene in Breaking Bad highlights the universal yet hollow usage of the word “Kafkaesque.” Woods points out how the humor in the scene emerges from Jesse’s crude, repetitive language and his obliviousness to the counselor’s reference. The dialogue echoes Kafka’s works, particularly The Trial and The Castle, where bureaucracy is portrayed as an impenetrable labyrinth, with no clear authority or explanation of who is in charge. The repetition of meaningless authority in Kafka’s works reflects the red tape Jesse describes. This, in essence, is what makes the scene in Breaking Bad so perfectly Kafkaesque—the absurdity of not knowing who’s really in control, of being stuck in a meaningless system, of everyday frustrations feeling like they stem from forces beyond our understanding. Woods’ close reading of the scene highlights how the rhythm of language itself mirrors Kafka’s absurd world, with the repeated phrases »dick« and »dead-eyed douchebags« giving the dialogue a darkly humorous cadence, much like Kafka’s own playful manipulation of language.
Bureaucracy is one of Kafka’s most enduring themes, and it remains strikingly relevant in the modern world. Despite technological advances and promises of efficiency, bureaucratic systems still dominate our lives in much the same way they did during Kafka’s lifetime. We are often lost in a sea of paperwork, facing arbitrary processes that seem to serve no purpose other than to trap us in cycles of delay and frustration. Why, in an era of digital convenience, do we still endure these outdated, mind-numbing systems? Kafka’s writing about the absurdity and meaninglessness of bureaucracy, particularly in his fragmentary novels The Trial and The Castle, captures this eternal human experience. In these works, Kafka presents worlds where no one knows who is in charge, where the rules are opaque, and where people in powerless positions find small ways to exert control over others. This resonates deeply in today’s world, where we often find ourselves at the mercy of faceless systems that make arbitrary demands, keeping us in endless waiting loops for permission, paperwork, or access.
Kafka’s parable Before the Law offers a profound reflection on the inaccessibility of justice. In this story, a man stands before a gate his entire life, never permitted to enter and never given a reason why. It’s a haunting metaphor for the paradox of laws that claim to be accessible but remain out of reach for the common person. This theme of unattainable justice feels especially relevant today, especially as we hear the phrase »no one is above the law« again and again in the political sphere, yet often experience systems of power that seem inaccessible or indifferent to the needs of ordinary people. The paradoxes embedded in voting systems, gerrymandering, and the Electoral College in the United States can feel Kafkaesque, promising democratic participation but delivering outcomes that leave people feeling powerless.
So, what is it about Kafka that continues to captivate us, even 100 years after his death? Kafka’s vision of the world, marked by alienation, frustration, and absurdity, taps into something deeply universal. His exploration of societal norms, particularly the ones we follow without understanding why, continues to resonate. Kafka himself resisted the norms of his time, especially the expectations of marriage and family. He faced criticism for rejecting these conventions, a tension that is still relevant in today’s conversations about individual autonomy versus societal pressure. This tension is also present in Seinfeld – the eternal bachelorhood of Jerry and George, their aversion to responsibility, and their rebellion against societal norms are all echoes of Kafka’s own struggles with conforming to traditional roles.
In the end, Kafka’s work endures because it speaks to the human condition in a way that transcends time and place. His world may have been shaped by the bureaucracies and societal pressures of early 20th-century Europe, but his insights into power, authority, and the absurdities of life are still strikingly relevant in our modern world. Whether through literature, television, or our own frustrating interactions with bureaucracy, Kafka’s legacy lives on, reminding us of the absurdity, humor, and sometimes despair that define our experience as humans.
Lauren Brooks’ research focuses on decentering authority in German language pedagogy by empowering students through project-based learning and rethinking traditional methods of assessment. She has also written on Kafka and his absurdist treatment of authority across his corpus by analyzing his humor through the U.S. situation comedy Seinfeld, a topic she also enjoys incorporating into her teaching. Since 2010, she has taught a range of German language curriculum from novice to advanced, including writing-intensive, conversation, film and media, and literature and cultural studies courses. Lauren Brooks is currently visiting the University of Münster on a Fulbright scholarship (academic year 2024–25).
References
David, Larry and Jerry Seinfeld, creators. Seinfeld. West-Shapiro/Castle Rock Entertainment, 1989.
Gilligan, Vince, creator. Breaking Bad. Sony Pictures, 2008.
Kafka, Franz: Der Prozess. Romane und Erzählungen. Hrsg von Michael Müller. Reclam. Stuttgart. 2019.
Kafka, Franz: Das Schloss. Romane und Erzählungen. Hrsg von Michael Müller. Reclam. Stuttgart. 2019.
Kafka, Franz: Vor dem Gesetz. Romane und Erzählungen. Hrsg von Michael Müller. Reclam. Stuttgart. 2019.
Kafka, Franz: Das Urteil. Romane und Erzählungen. Hrsg von Michael Müller. Reclam. Stuttgart. 2019.
Kehlmann, Daniel and David Schalko, creators. Kafka. Superfilm, 2024.
Woods, Michelle: Kafka Translated. How Translators have Shaped our Reading of Kafka. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2013.
Illustrations
Ill. 1: Franz Kafka 1906 by Sigismund Jacobi, via wikimedia. Public Domain
Ill. 2: Jerry Seinfeld 1992 by Alan Light, via wikimedia. CC BY 2.0
Recommended Citation
Lauren J. Brooks: “Kafka’s Lasting Legacy: Why We Still Talk About Him 100 Years Later.” Transatlanticism. Feb. 18, 2025. URL: https://transatlanticism.uni-muenster.blog/kafkas-lasting-legacy/ DOI: https://doi.org/10.17879/63998648398.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Lizenziert unter der Creative Commons Namensnennung 4.0 International Lizenz.
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