# What makes something "Kafkaesque"?

- Institution: TED
- Department: TED-Ed
- Speaker: Noah Tavlin
- Year: 2016
- Level: For everyone
- Language: English
- Subjects: Society and politics, History, Literature and writing, Teaching and learning
- Source: [TED](https://www.ted.com/talks/noah_tavlin_what_makes_something_kafkaesque)
- Licence: [CC BY-NC-ND 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) (Non-commercial use only, and no changed versions.)
- Who can watch: Teens profiles and older (sources give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the source's own words)

The term Kafkaesque has entered the vernacular to describe unnecessarily complicated and frustrating experiences, especially with bureaucracy. But does standing in a long line to fill out confusing paperwork really capture the richness of Kafka’s vision? Beyond the word’s casual use, what makes something "Kafkaesque"? Noah Tavlin explains. \[Directed Jeremiah Dickey, narrated by Addison Anderson\].

## Lectures

1. [What makes something "Kafkaesque"?](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/learn/ted/noah_tavlin_what_makes_something_kafkaesque/a97d519d516f), 5 min (TED's player)