How did the philosophy of existentialism influence Kafka's work? How does it reflect the times? Define the term. Include synonyms and antonyms. Identify and explain the main ideas of Jean-Paul Sartre, Soren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche. What do atheistic and Christian existentialists have in common? Why is Kafka considered an existentialist? Refer to specific incidents and passages in the novella.

American Foreign Relations. "New American Nation." The Cold War. AmericanForeignRelations.com, 2012. Web. 23 Feb. 2012. .

"Traditional scholarship on the Cold War assigned a central but sharply circumscribed role to ideology. The writers of the 1950s drew on the official rationales that the Truman administration had used to explain the nature of the Cold War and the necessity for the American Cold War policy of containment."

This source tells us about the ideology of the Cold War. This is instrumental in our research because the time during and after World War 2 was the time during which Existentialism flourished. However, this source may not be reliable because it is maintained by a private corporation that has not been validated as of yet. Even so, it has many articles on the history of American Foreign Relations, and the information seems to be correct when considering the events of the Cold War.

Braakhuis, Wilfried. "The World at War, History of WW 1939-1945." The World at War, History of WW 1939-1945. Euronet.nl, 1 Jan. 1998. Web. 23 Feb. 2012. .

"This Web site is intended for enthusiasts of World War II, a period now far behind us. The text has been written using our own judgement and should be easily understood by everybody. The reader is taken back in time and feels that he was actually present when the events took place, a new and compelling way of experiencing the events of World War II."

This source is about World War II, written by Wilfried Braakuis. The source contains detailed information categorized by the year, and has been used by many people - there is a view-counter on the site and 4,527,049 people have viewed the site since 1998. The site has received many awards for its high-quality information. It is useful because it tells of the time period during which Existentialism flourished between scholars and writers.

"Christian Existentialism." Philosophy. Web. 23 Feb. 2012. .

This source is useful for our project as it not only describes what existentialism is, but also explains how Christianity is related to the idea and states the similarities and differences between the two.

"Existentialism." (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Web. 23 Feb. 2012.

"'Existentialism', therefore, may be defined as the philosophical theory which holds that a further set of categories, governed by the norm of authenticity, is necessary to grasp human existence."

This source is an in depth definition of what existentialism is. It also provides further reading in to other topics related to existentialism such as Nietzsche and Sartre. A problem with this source is that it talks about such a broad topic of things that it it is difficult to find specific information

"Søren Kierkegaard." (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Web. 23 Feb. 2012.

"His work crosses the boundaries of philosophy, theology, psychology, literary criticism, devotional literature and fiction. Kierkegaard brought this potent mixture of discourses to bear as social critique and for the purpose of renewing Christian faith within Christendom. "

This source is a biography of Kierkegaard which speaks not only of his views on existentialism and other topics such as Christianity. A problem with this source is that it doesn't focus on the topic of existentialism so it is difficult to find focused information on the topic.

Kramer, Mark. "Ideology and the Cold War." Review of International Studies. 4th ed. Vol. 25. Cambridge: Cambridge University Express, 1999. 539-76. Print.

This source is from a book edition published in 1999, called the Review of International Studies. It provides a year-by-year analysis of Cold War ideology. The source is reliable because it is a published book written by many analysts and updated every few years to be published with new information. The source is useful because it provides reliable information on the public mindset during the Cold War, which is the time period during which Existentialism became more popular with writers.

"The Perspectives of Nietzsche: Nietzsche Quotes." The Perspectives of Nietzsche: Nietzsche Quotes. Web. 23 Feb. 2012.

"Certainly the Christian religion is an antiquity projected into our times from remote prehistory; and the fact that the claim is believed - whereas one is otherwise so strict in examining pretensions - is perhaps the most ancient piece of this heritage."

This webpage contains many quotes said by Nietzche regarding religion and philosophy. A problem with this source is that although it provides direct quotations from Nietzche, it doesn't provide as much information as would be desired.

Wyatt, C.S. "Franz Kafka the Absurdity of Everything." Existential Primer: Franz Kafka. Web. 23 Feb. 2012. http://www.tameri.com/csw/exist/kafka.shtml.

This source includes a biography of Franz Kafka and explains how he can be related to existentialism. It mostly, however, talks about Kafka's work. "Kafka as Existentialist" is the heading that is important to us. For further reading, it also details the other major aspects of Kafka's work.


Wyatt, C.S. "Friedrich Nietzsche Thus Spake the Radical Individual." Existential Primer: Friedrich Nietzsche. 31 Dec. 2011. Web. 23 Feb. 2012. .

This source isn't very good; it doesn't cover what we're looking for in terms of Nietzche as an Existentialist. However, there is this quote that is interesting and gives us insight to his philosophy in life: "Nevertheless, his father was a minister; a long line of clergymen lay behind each of his parents; and he himself remained a preacher to the end. He attacked Christianity because there was so much of its moral spirit in him.... With perhaps one disastrous exception, Nietzsche remained pious and Puritan, chaste as a statue, to the last: therefore his assault on Puritanism and piety. How he longed to be a sinner, this incorrigible saint! - The Story of Philosophy; Durant, p. 402-3" For the reliability of the source, look at the annotation of "Søren Kierkegaard the Original Leap of Faith" by the same author.

Wyatt, C.S. "Jean-Paul Sartre." Existential Primer: Jean-Paul Sartre. 31 Dec. 2011. Web. 23 Feb. 2012. .

This source doesn't focus on Sartre's Existentialism, though it talks about it quite a bit - more in terms of the effect it had on popular culture than anything else. Here's a quote that sums up his importance: "It is mainly through the work of Jean-Paul Sartre that existentialism has come to the attention of a wide international audience." - Existentialism; Kaufmann, p. 40 He did not invent existentialism, but rather brought it to the public's interest. Same reliability as other sources by same author.


Wyatt, C.S. "Søren Kierkegaard the Original Leap of Faith." Existential Primer: Søren Kierkegaard. 31 Dec. 2011. Web. 23 Feb. 2012. .

This source is good to read if trying to comprehend the character of Kierkegaard. Don't read the entire thing (too much too know!) -- the Biography is good, but too long, and the section Commentaries:Christian Existentialism is what's really important to us... The author of all the Existensial Primer sites does warn us that his information is not a research paper, and that although he does site his sources, it is better to read the actual sources. This site gives a more personal than analytical view on the topics discussed.

For a better-formatted version of this bibliography, go to: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sKGRzjEGYNF0Kr4RbpSbyzT6lEYdmDaC62hpsc-tYbI/edit

"This Web site is intended for enthusiasts of World War II, a period now far behind us. The text has been written using our own judgement and should be easily understood by everybody. The reader is taken back in time and feels that he was actually present when the events took place, a new and compelling way of experiencing the events of World War II." Great source on WWII for the question on how the time period affected the spread and development of Existentialism.

"Traditional scholarship on the Cold War assigned a central but sharply circumscribed role to ideology. The writers of the 1950s drew on the official rationales that the Truman administration had used to explain the nature of the Cold War and the necessity for the American Cold War policy of containment." May not be reliable, but a good source for Cold war ideology.

Book source, written by Mark Kramer

A website on Existentialism - start researching here!