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senseinia's review against another edition
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
sarik's review against another edition
3.0
Quería amar este libro pero me costó leerlo, fue aburrido y lento y difícil de entender. Quizá es porque soy muy chica y cuando lo vuelva a leer en un futuro me llegue más el mensaje del libro
bigenk's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The only thing I have read that's even remotely similar to the The Trial is The Woman in the Dunes, which I suppose should be no great surprise since it seems that without the former, the latter would never have existed in its current form.
The Trial is the story of Josef K., a middle manager at a bank who is noteworthy only because he is suddenly arrested in his apartment on the day of his 30th birthday. For what, exactly? That remains a mystery for K, as well as his captors, investigators, lawyers, judges, a clergy member, a painter, or really anyone remotely involved in K's case. Everyone follows the template for their role that they 'should' be doing without any real idea of the truth behind it.
Kafka wrote The Trial in a style that I would mostly closely relate to stream of consciousness. Paragraphs are lengthy, and prone to large tangents that lead to totally new thoughts of their own. I thought this prose style suited both the content and the themes that Kafka chooses to explore. This is very much a story of and about nihilism. We see K as but a passenger on the tide of his case, despite his continued efforts. His advances are denied at every turn, driving his anxiety and confusion ever higher. It's a depressing and pitch black book even if the diction doesn't always do the heavy lifting to get to that tone.
It's a surreal world that K inhabits, with lots of maze-like spaces that have no clear defining lines, one that makes the already confusing events even more unbearable. Characters are prone to wild changes in emotion and action. It reads to me as a work of proto-magical realism, which I enjoyed greatly. It's also clear that Kafka was resentful of bureaucracy, resentful of the power that untold people can have over your life. Because this system of bureaucracy employs so many, each individual is free from personal accountability for their role in K's case. We are left with the impression that the wheels of this system will continue to grind the helpless and innocent into dust. This is a world devoid of purpose or morality. There's also certainly some more religious philosophy here, but these points are less clear to me, as I don't have much in the way of a religious background.
I find it hard to criticize The Trial in meaningful ways, not because there aren't flaws (it's quite literally unfinished), but because of the circumstances behind its creation and eventual publication. Kafka hated most of his own work, choosing to burn most of it before his death. The only reason that The Trial exists today is because of his literary executor going against Kafka's wishes to publish anything of his, period. These circumstances do feel like armor protecting the work from critique. Certainly it does become repetitive, dry, and boring. Certainly it does have an abrupt ending that flows against the grain of the rest of the text. It's not hard to see why some readers simply do not connect with the novel. Even I questioned my enjoyment several times.
However, I think it's hard to deny its weight and importance, a work that is valuable both because of its impact on future literature, but also on its own merits. Much like the The Woman in the Dunes I think that I would need to read this several more times with even more detail to tease it apart in a way that I could feel happy with. As it stands, I do feel like I'm only seeing the first few feet of a very deep lake. I'm interested to read more of Kafka's work as well as a biography of his life.
The Trial is the story of Josef K., a middle manager at a bank who is noteworthy only because he is suddenly arrested in his apartment on the day of his 30th birthday. For what, exactly? That remains a mystery for K, as well as his captors, investigators, lawyers, judges, a clergy member, a painter, or really anyone remotely involved in K's case. Everyone follows the template for their role that they 'should' be doing without any real idea of the truth behind it.
Kafka wrote The Trial in a style that I would mostly closely relate to stream of consciousness. Paragraphs are lengthy, and prone to large tangents that lead to totally new thoughts of their own. I thought this prose style suited both the content and the themes that Kafka chooses to explore. This is very much a story of and about nihilism. We see K as but a passenger on the tide of his case, despite his continued efforts. His advances are denied at every turn, driving his anxiety and confusion ever higher. It's a depressing and pitch black book even if the diction doesn't always do the heavy lifting to get to that tone.
It's a surreal world that K inhabits, with lots of maze-like spaces that have no clear defining lines, one that makes the already confusing events even more unbearable. Characters are prone to wild changes in emotion and action. It reads to me as a work of proto-magical realism, which I enjoyed greatly. It's also clear that Kafka was resentful of bureaucracy, resentful of the power that untold people can have over your life. Because this system of bureaucracy employs so many, each individual is free from personal accountability for their role in K's case. We are left with the impression that the wheels of this system will continue to grind the helpless and innocent into dust. This is a world devoid of purpose or morality. There's also certainly some more religious philosophy here, but these points are less clear to me, as I don't have much in the way of a religious background.
I find it hard to criticize The Trial in meaningful ways, not because there aren't flaws (it's quite literally unfinished), but because of the circumstances behind its creation and eventual publication. Kafka hated most of his own work, choosing to burn most of it before his death. The only reason that The Trial exists today is because of his literary executor going against Kafka's wishes to publish anything of his, period. These circumstances do feel like armor protecting the work from critique. Certainly it does become repetitive, dry, and boring. Certainly it does have an abrupt ending that flows against the grain of the rest of the text. It's not hard to see why some readers simply do not connect with the novel. Even I questioned my enjoyment several times.
However, I think it's hard to deny its weight and importance, a work that is valuable both because of its impact on future literature, but also on its own merits. Much like the The Woman in the Dunes I think that I would need to read this several more times with even more detail to tease it apart in a way that I could feel happy with. As it stands, I do feel like I'm only seeing the first few feet of a very deep lake. I'm interested to read more of Kafka's work as well as a biography of his life.
g_bryce42's review against another edition
challenging
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jemin's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
noo i cried at the end even though i got a bit lost in the middle
why was the world so cruel to poor baby k :(
why was the world so cruel to poor baby k :(
kamiskjong's review against another edition
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
yve_ma's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
ecclesias's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.0
noah_d's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0