Spurning (verb) – to reject with disdain

Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spurning

From “A Hunger Artist” by Franz Kafka

I came across this word while reading “A Hunger Artist” by Franz Kafka. It appears at the beginning of the reading on the first paragraph towards the bottom when the author is illustrating the hunger artist and how the audience perceives him. It caught my interest because I’ve never seen use of the word before and was curious as to how it correlates to the overall image the author is trying to describe as to better undestand the text and it’s meaning.

“…as he sat there on scattered straw—spurning a chair—in black tights…”(Kafka).

After reading the definition of the word I better understand the context of how the author was using it in that part of the text. As seen in the quote, the author is discribing how the hunger artist would sit on scattered straw rather then on a chair, rejecting the comfort it would bring and embracing an uncomfortable minimalistic lifestyle to express his art.