On Parables

"On Parables" ("Von den Gleichnissen") is a short story fragment by Franz Kafka.^[1] It was not published until 1931, seven years after his death. Max Brod selected stories and published them in the collection Beim Bau der Chinesischen Mauer. 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: Schocken Books, 1946).^[2]

The piece consists of a narrative on the merit of parables. The debate is over if they are useful or merely folklore handed down from one generation to the next. The narrator mentions parables are not necessarily useful, after all they've been around for many years yet people still struggle with the same difficulties despite their "wisdom." The story ends by claiming the text in itself can be interpreted as a parable.

Analysis

The story was written while Kafka was reading Judaica, and was particularly interested in the lore associated with Mishna.^[3] Interestingly, Kafka's The Blue Octavo Notebooks are full of parables, many observations about daily life intertwined with poignant twists.

References