Law and Literature

Advocacy of Existences in Franz Kafka's “The Verdict”

Abstract

https://doi.org/10.1590/2179-8966/2024/84274

Within Kafka's body of work, The Verdict is considered the turning point for the author's own unique and singular artistic production. In his letters and diaries, the writer describes the completion of the text as an event marked by joy, ecstasy, and a torrential sensation linked to visceral and bodily impressions. In this article, we intend to address this tangle of impressions and the writing process of The Verdict itself as a process linked to the conquest of a new existence. To reach this conclusion, we propose a theoretical journey that unfolds in three distinct analyses: a) the reading of The Verdict carried out by George Bataille, based on the relationship between pure transgression and sovereign refusal; b) the reading of the same text conducted by Deleuze and Guattari, critically including it in the broader development of Kafka's writing (letters, novellas, novels); c) finally, our proposal to establish a relationship between The Verdict and the concept of advocacy for minor existences, inspired by the recent work of David Lapoujade.

Keywords: Law; Literature; Kafka; Minimal existences; Advocacy for existences