The City Coat of Arms

"The City Coat of Arms"
Author	Franz Kafka
Original title	"Das Stadtwappen"
Language	German
Genre(s)	Short story
Published in	Beim Bau der Chinesischen Mauer
Media type	book (hardcover)
Publication date	1931
Published in English	1933 (1933) London, Martin Secker 1946 (1946) New York, Schocken Books

"The City Coat of Arms" (German: "Das Stadtwappen") is a short story by Franz Kafka. It was published posthumously in Beim Bau der Chinesischen Mauer (Berlin, 1931). The first English translation by Willa and Edwin Muir was published by Martin Secker in London in 1933. It appeared in The Great Wall of China. Stories and Reflections (New York City: Schocken Books, 1946).^[1]

Plot

The short story details the creation of the Tower of Babel.^[2] The narrator notes how many different people, from various nationalities had a hand in the construction. The massive scale of the project creates so many logistical and societal complications that it becomes impossible for civilization to ever achieve the original plan, or to even seriously believe in the plan. But the project continues on in an insincere manner, because everybody is too deeply involved to be able to leave.

Analysis

The story can be interpreted as Kafka's criticism of the layers of bureaucracy that follow projects, as well as his reaction to the changing city he lived in at the time.^[3] Kafka lived in Prague, which had a large tower constructed by many workers and large funds yet was condemned.^[4] While some scholars have noted the story's relevance to elements in the Torah,^[5] others have noted Kafka's use of realism, utilized by earlier writers such as Stephen Crane^[6] Kafka noted the piece in at least one of his letters, and claimed it was inspired by his study of the Midrash and the rising pollution he noted in Prague.^[7]

References

↑ The Great Wall of China: Stories and Reflections. Franz Kafka - 1946 - Schocken Books
↑ The Complete Stories and Parables. Franz Kafka - 1983
↑ The Divided City: Prague's Public Space and Franz Kafka's Readings of Prague. M NEKULA - … Fleischmann, Albrecht Greule Franz Kafka.2007
↑ The nightmare of reason: A life of Franz Kafka. E Pawel - 1985 - getcited.org
↑ Robert Alter. Franz Kafka: Wrenching Scripture. New England Review, 2000 - JSTOR
↑ Aaron Sommers. Crane's Experiment in Misery: Urban Decay. Coastline Journal 2010.
↑ Religious questions: Kafka and Wittgenstein on giving groundsS Fleischacker - Sophia, 1982 - Springer.

Works by Franz Kafka

Novels

Short stories

1902–12	"Shamefaced Lanky and Impure in Heart" "Description of a Struggle" "Wedding Preparations in the Country" "The Judgment" "The Stoker" The Metamorphosis "The Aeroplanes at Brescia"

1914–17	"In the Penal Colony" "The Village Schoolmaster" "Before the Law" "Blumfeld, an Elderly Bachelor" "A Country Doctor" "The Hunter Gracchus" "The Great Wall of China" "A Message from the Emperor" "A Report to an Academy" "A Dream" "Up in the Gallery" "A Fratricide" "The Next Village" "A Visit to a Mine" "Jackals and Arabs" "The Bridge" "The Bucket Rider" "The New Advocate" "An Old Manuscript" "The Knock at the Manor Gate" "Eleven Sons" "My Neighbor" "A Crossbreed" "The Cares of a Family Man"

1917–23	"The Refusal" "A Hunger Artist" "Investigations of a Dog" "A Little Woman" "The Burrow" "Josephine the Singer, or the Mouse Folk" "A Common Confusion" "The Truth about Sancho Panza" "The Silence of the Sirens" "Prometheus" "The City Coat of Arms" "Poseidon" "Fellowship" "At Night" "The Problem of Our Laws" "The Conscription of Troops" "The Test" "The Vulture" "The Helmsman" "The Top" "A Little Fable" "Home-Coming" "First Sorrow" "The Departure" "Advocates" "The Married Couple" "Give It Up!" "On Parables"

Short story
collections

Diaries and
notebooks

Letters
and essays

Plays

The Warden of the Tomb

Category

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