Gesture as a Stylistic Device in Kleist’s «Michael Kohlhaas» and Kafka’s «Der Prozess»

The book first considers the use of gesture in the drama, then proceeds to develop a theory on the meaning of gesture in the narrative. This theory is then applied to Kleist’s «Michael Kohlhaas» and Kafka’s «Der Prozess». Both texts are subjected to a thorough formal analysis, which considers the functional meaning of gesture and describes the peculiarities of each author’s style. The result of these analyses is compared in the light of previous scholarship and an opinion is offered on the alleged stylistic link between the two authors.