The fragmentation of subjectivity: a comparative study of the concept of 'self in Emerson and Kafka

In 19th-century America and early 20th-century Europe, the awakening of individual consciousness emerged as a central concern of literary exploration. Ralph Waldo Emersons Self-Reliance advocates for independence, self-affirmation, and inner moral sensibility, constructing an idealist philosophy of subjectivity. In contrast, Franz Kafkas The Metamorphosis exposes the alienation, isolation, and collapse of the modern individual within familial and social structures. From a comparative literature perspective, this paper analyzes the notion of the self in these two works through the lenses of intellectual lineage, textual style, and sociocultural context. It aims to reveal the divergences in subjectivity shaped by differing cultural backgrounds and present a cross-temporal and cross-spatial dialogue of ideas.