Collections Quote by Stephen Greenblatt
![“When I was quite young I came across a collection of [Franz] Kafka stories and read "The Judgment." I was just floored by that story. I couldn't understand it. I still don't. I'm talking about something I read more than 50 years ago. That story left a little scar on me.” quote by Stephen Greenblatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/550/stephen-greenblatt-10786_collections_when-i-was-quite-young-i-came-across-a-c_701892.jpg)
“When I was quite young I came across a collection of [Franz] Kafka stories and read "The Judgment." I was just floored by that story. I couldn't understand it. I still don't. I'm talking about something I read more than 50 years ago. That story left a little scar on me.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: The New Yorker, "Stephen Greenblatt on Kafka", 1974
A youthful encounter with Kafka's "The Judgment" left a lasting, perplexing impression that remains unresolved.
In simple terms: A story confused and scarred the reader.
Key Takeaway
Embrace ambiguity and explore unresolved feelings.
Themes
literature
memory
impact
uncertainty
Mood
reflective
melancholy
curious
Type
personal
analytical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- college reading
- personal reflection
- creative writing
- therapy
- teaching
Key Concepts
existentialism
psychological imprint
literary influence
Questions to Reflect On
- What does the scar teach you about your own uncertainties?
- How might revisiting the story change its impact?
A Different Perspective
The scar may hinder deeper appreciation without guided analysis.
![“I'm humbled and enormously grateful to be connected to [Franz] Kafka in a any way. He is one of the writers I admire. I think he has been a big influence on me. I appreciate the idea of the individual person battling the society - which is true in all his books.” quote by Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/215/alan-lightman-2270_admire_i-m-humbled-and-enormously-grateful-to-b_1542144.jpg)
![“[Kafka] transformed the profoundly antipoetic material of a highly bureaucratized society into the great poetry of the novel; he transformed a very ordinary story of a man who cannot obtain a promised job . . . into myth, into epic, into a kind of beauty never before seen.” quote by Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/6b8/milan-kundera-120_beauty_kafka-transformed-the-profoundly-antipoe_2458536.jpg)
