Charles Godwin K, Rishiraj Gupta and Aparna Suresh
This paper examines Franz Kafka’s short story “Poseidon” through the lenses of Reader-Response Theory and Death of the Author, highlighting how literary meaning is shaped more by readers than by the author’s intentions. In “Poseidon”, Kafka reimagines the Greek god as an overburdened bureaucrat buried in paperwork, rarely seeing the sea he is meant to rule. This ironic depiction invites varied interpretations, depending on each reader’s background, beliefs, and engagement with the text. By applying these two modern theories, the paper argues that the richness and depth of “Poseidon” lie not in Kafka’s biography or purpose, but in the multiple meanings that readers extract from the story’s absurdity and symbolism.
Literary Theory, Interpretive Strategies, Authorial Intent, Textual Meaning, Absurdism, Bureaucracy, Myth Reinterpretation, Reader Interpretation