Kafka is a lot of fun to read. All these stories are available online already, by the way [1]. First story's title is translated as "On Parables" in this version. Presumably the letters/journal entries are what will be new with this book. I've always been a fan of his story "A Little Fable":
"Alas", said the mouse, "the whole world is growing smaller every day. At the beginning it was so big that I was afraid, I kept running and running, and I was glad when I saw walls far away to the right and left, but these long walls have narrowed so quickly that I am in the last chamber already, and there in the corner stands the trap that I am running into."
"You only need to change your direction," said the cat, and ate it up.
Funny you should mention DFW. When I read the "Give It Up" story it reminded me of one of the films in his book Infinite Jest called "Wave Bye-Bye To The Beaurocrat", where a man hurries to the train late for work and knocks over a child who mistakes him for Jesus Christ. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the short films in the book were inspired by Kafka.
"Alas", said the mouse, "the whole world is growing smaller every day. At the beginning it was so big that I was afraid, I kept running and running, and I was glad when I saw walls far away to the right and left, but these long walls have narrowed so quickly that I am in the last chamber already, and there in the corner stands the trap that I am running into."
"You only need to change your direction," said the cat, and ate it up.
1. PDF warning: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/olli/class-materials/Franz_Kafka.p...