Two Unexpectedly Hilarious Kafka Stories
This article explores the use of animal narrators in literature, contrasting contemporary works that emphasize animal innocence with Franz Kafka’s stories that depict animals with human-like hubris. It highlights how fiction allows authors to project human qualities onto non-human subjects.
Why it matters
It provides a cultural critique of how anthropomorphism is used in storytelling to reflect on human nature and societal flaws.
The animal narrators in these works teach us something funny about human beings.
Hulton Archive / Getty July 31, 2026, 1:05 PM ET Share Save This is an edition of the Books Briefing, our editors’ weekly guide to the best in books. Sign up for it here.
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