„Wstęp o każdym czasie”, czyli o zwrocie K.

This article reflects on the current status of Franz Kafka and “Kafkaesque” characters in the humanities. It poses the question of whether the ubiquitous Kafka has become a figure of discourse replacing theoretical thinking, the face of the variously conceived crisis of theory. The author points out that “Kafka” has the characteristics of a traveling concept (Mieke Bal). She questions the existence of the “K turn” as another cultural turn (as well as the fact that Kafka may be a mere thematic fixation marking the times of cultural turns, but does not create a new category of analysis). She proposes that the K turn be situated within a broader trend: the metaxis turn, pointing out that it can be combined with the post-autonomous phase of culture. The framework for reflecting on Kafka’s status as a distinctive institution is provided by the characteristics of cinema at the time of the media turn. Keywords: Franz Kafka, cinema, media turn, cultural turn, cultural theory, metaxis turn