Josephine the Singer
Encyclopedia
Josephine the Singer, or the Mouse Folk is the last short story
written by Franz Kafka
. It primarily details a community and its relationship to a renowned singer named Josephine. The story was included in the collection A Hunger Artist
(Ein Hungerkünstler) published by Verlag Die Schmiede soon after Kafka's death.
Some of the mouse people wonder if Josephine is truly singing, or simply whistling, which our narrator tells us all the mice people can do, are indeed prone to regularly do. Throughout the story, the narrator, who at first purports that whoever has not heard Josephine sing does not know the true power of music, begins to doubt his own judgment, the judgment of the mouse people, and the ability of Josephine herself. He suggests that what is held so dearly by the mouse people is not Josephine's 'ability' but the silence that falls over the people and their settlement when she is singing/whistling. While he never ostensibly decries or criticises the beloved singer, he gradually whittles away at her character, finally describing someone of little talent who dislikes and often shirks her work, and even sometimes brings danger to her people (for her singing can act as a beacon to the many enemies of the mouse people, and when attacked some are killed, although Josephine is always rushed to safety). She is still considered a gift and adored by the community, in spite of this; yet, when she 'disappears' (allegedly because she does not feel her music is appreciated, but this is not proven), while she is missed, little sleep is lost over the matter; the lives of the mouse people continue as normal.
It is of note that the mouse people are not ever described as such within the story. It is uncertain if they are actually mice. Many aspects of their lives are mouselike - the fact that they are so very hardworking and practical, that danger is always imminent and enemies many, the practice of children being turned out from their families into the wider community very shortly after birth, that they keep no written records, the terrain they live in. They are described by the narrator, one of their number, as, when Josephine begins to sing, falling "quiet as mice" - aside from the title, this is the only time that mice are referenced. It is probable that Kafka intended the issue to be left up to our own judgment, the suggestion playfully bandied about but no explicit answer given. Either way, whether they really are mice or not is of little importance to our understanding of the story, while the necessity for the idea to be in the reader's mind is central to the reading experience.
of the larynx. Near the conclusion the nature of Josephine's singing mirrors Kafka's lifelong struggle with his own writing. The humorously meticulous style of the argumentative narrator in the story also indicates the rhetorical conventions of rabbinical discourse.
into a play, with the altered title of "Josephine the Mouse Singer". It won an Obie Award
for Best Play of the Year.
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
written by Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka was a culturally influential German-language author of short stories and novels. Contemporary critics and academics, including Vladimir Nabokov, regard Kafka as one of the best writers of the 20th century...
. It primarily details a community and its relationship to a renowned singer named Josephine. The story was included in the collection A Hunger Artist
A Hunger Artist (collection)
A Hunger Artist is the collection of short stories by Franz Kafka published in Germany in 1924, the last collection that Kafka himself prepared for the publication...
(Ein Hungerkünstler) published by Verlag Die Schmiede soon after Kafka's death.
Plot summary
Josephine is a rarity among the mouse people, for she has the innate ability to sing, which none other in the community has displayed. She can not only sing, but she can sing beautifully, helping all the mouse people tolerate their unusually hardworking lives. Some of the mouse people claim to dislike her and do not believe she is truly singing, while others adore her and consider her a communal treasure; regardless, all the mouse people gather round to listen to her, and once she is singing, forget their reservations about her; they use her feeble vocal cords to their utmost strength, and treasure her delicacy.- "Sometimes I have the impression that our people sees its relationship with Josephine rather like this: that she, this fragile, vulnerable, somehow distinguished creature, in her opinion distinguished by her song, has been entrusted to us and that we must look after her; the reason for this is not clear to anyone, only the fact seems to be established. But what has been entrusted to one's care one does not laugh at; to do so would be a breach of duty; the utmost spite that the most spiteful amongst us can vent on Josephine is when they sometimes say: 'When we see Josephine it is no laughing matter."
Some of the mouse people wonder if Josephine is truly singing, or simply whistling, which our narrator tells us all the mice people can do, are indeed prone to regularly do. Throughout the story, the narrator, who at first purports that whoever has not heard Josephine sing does not know the true power of music, begins to doubt his own judgment, the judgment of the mouse people, and the ability of Josephine herself. He suggests that what is held so dearly by the mouse people is not Josephine's 'ability' but the silence that falls over the people and their settlement when she is singing/whistling. While he never ostensibly decries or criticises the beloved singer, he gradually whittles away at her character, finally describing someone of little talent who dislikes and often shirks her work, and even sometimes brings danger to her people (for her singing can act as a beacon to the many enemies of the mouse people, and when attacked some are killed, although Josephine is always rushed to safety). She is still considered a gift and adored by the community, in spite of this; yet, when she 'disappears' (allegedly because she does not feel her music is appreciated, but this is not proven), while she is missed, little sleep is lost over the matter; the lives of the mouse people continue as normal.
- "So perhaps we shall not miss so very much after all, while Josephine, for her part, delivered from earthly afflictions, which however to her mind are the privilege of chosen spirits, will happily lose herself in the countless throng of the heroes of our people, and soon, since we pursue no history, be accorded the heightened relief of being forgotten along with all her brethren."
It is of note that the mouse people are not ever described as such within the story. It is uncertain if they are actually mice. Many aspects of their lives are mouselike - the fact that they are so very hardworking and practical, that danger is always imminent and enemies many, the practice of children being turned out from their families into the wider community very shortly after birth, that they keep no written records, the terrain they live in. They are described by the narrator, one of their number, as, when Josephine begins to sing, falling "quiet as mice" - aside from the title, this is the only time that mice are referenced. It is probable that Kafka intended the issue to be left up to our own judgment, the suggestion playfully bandied about but no explicit answer given. Either way, whether they really are mice or not is of little importance to our understanding of the story, while the necessity for the idea to be in the reader's mind is central to the reading experience.
Analysis
Ostensibly "Josephine" is about the art of the voice. While writing the story Kafka himself had no voice. He was dying of tuberculosisTuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
of the larynx. Near the conclusion the nature of Josephine's singing mirrors Kafka's lifelong struggle with his own writing. The humorously meticulous style of the argumentative narrator in the story also indicates the rhetorical conventions of rabbinical discourse.
Family
Josephine the songstress is part of the mouse people family. They love her, protect her and think she is vitally important to the community.Solitude
Josephine the songstress suffers her life in the mouse community, for she is alone in her talent and mindset. Because she sings for the rest of the mice, she is looked upon as different — for better or for worse. When she eventually disappears, people soon forget her.Adaptions
The story was adapted by Michael McClureMichael McClure
Michael McClure is an American poet, playwright, songwriter, and novelist. After moving to San Francisco as a young man, he found fame as one of the five poets who read at the famous San Francisco Six Gallery reading in 1955 rendered in barely fictionalized terms in Jack Kerouac's Dharma Bums...
into a play, with the altered title of "Josephine the Mouse Singer". It won an Obie Award
Obie Award
The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given by The Village Voice newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City...
for Best Play of the Year.