Books by Ronald Gray

Originally published in 1965, this book was written to provide 'a not too obtrusive guide' to German poetry from Luther's time up until Brecht's. The text consists of poems followed by questions, whose purpose is not to provoke an interpretation or to test knowledge so much as to suggest possible starting-points from which lines of thought or of imagination may run.

This 1973 text provides a critical introduction to the writings of Franz Kafka. Within it Ronald Gray surveys the novels and short stories, and glances also at the religious or confessional writings. He presents a persuasive and coherent account of Kafka's personal and artistic development and its meaning and value for us.

In this 1976 introduction to Brecht's theatre and theory, Ronald Gray explores the dramatist's interacting roles as a committed Marxist seeking to influence audiences and as one of the most innovative craftsmen ever to work in the theatre.

This book outlines some of the main historical trends of German poetry and illustrates them with a selection of poems. It also teaches the reader a basic technical knowledge, but its main aim is to encourage students of German poetry to read and write with more insight.

This book argues that German literature since 1871 has been dominated by the tendency to think in polar opposites which are diametrically opposed yet capable of fusion, and considers how this is linked with the German history of the time. There are detailed studies of Thomas Mann and Rilke.

This is a detailed analysis of Kafka's novel The Castle, followed by a note on The Trial which points to the resemblance between the two books. The Castle is not an allegory in which every component 'stands' for some simple thing or quality; it has to be entered and moved about in, the parts referred to each other, the resonances listened to.

This is a concise survey and criticism of Goethe's work, for the general reader and the student. The book can be used in conjunction with Dr GrayAEs selection of the poems; the two books together are the best possible introduction to one of the greatest European men of letters.