The Aeroplanes at Brescia (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Guy Davenport
- First Published: 1970
- Type of Plot: Surrealist
- Time of Work: 1909
- Setting: Riva, Austria, and Brescia, Italy
- Principal Characters: Franz Kafka, Max Brod, Otto Brod, Bleriot, G. H. Curtiss
- Genres: Short fiction, Historical fiction, Surrealist literature
- Subjects: Surrealism, Vacations, Aviation or aviators
- Locales: Austria, Brescia, Italy
The Story
Standing on a seawall in Riva, Franz Kafka, the story's protagonist, and Otto Brod, his friend, conclude their morning walk. They are on vacation from Prague and decide to finish their discussion over a beer. En route, their conversation turns from moving pictures to the modern, cubelike architecture of Riva. This style creates, in contrast to Prague's older architecture, a sense not only of freedom but also of emptiness. As the two arrive at the cafe, they learn from Max Brod, Otto's brother, that there will be an airshow at Brescia. The attraction of the new flying...
[The entire page is 1706 words long]
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