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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Beyond some possible merit as an example of absurdity, there was nothing in this novel that I could say makes it worth reading. Unless you have to read it for some obligation or other or are familiar and tolerant of Kafka's writing, I suggest not reading this novel.
Reading this story has a feel of a dystopian novel (the crazy backward ways of the society that you hope and pray our society doesn’t evolve into). Except it was scarily too close to home and made me wonder if it was actually based on true events.
Unfortunately this story does have some elements of truth. So Kafka made it his duty to write this satire to expose the ludicrousness of the legal system in Austria-Hungary at the time.
Unfortunately this story does have some elements of truth. So Kafka made it his duty to write this satire to expose the ludicrousness of the legal system in Austria-Hungary at the time.
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
“It's only because of their stupidity that they're able to be so sure of themselves.”
This is the story of Josef K, a respectable bank officer who is suddenly and inexplicably arrested and must defend himself against a charge about which he can get no information. At first he thinks it's a joke, but things quickly become more complicated and Josef K. is struggling to find a way to end this painful situation.
The Trial is a short but endless nightmare, narrated in a very elegant and witty way. Nothing about this story sounds normal and yet it's filled with regular actions that we can do every day. It's incredible how Kafka translated into words the distress of the main character, a distress caused by society, by bureaucracy, by the church. It's upsetting how quickly his situation escalated, how claustrophobic and obsessive his problem turned out to be, and how cruel his life became. This absurd, painful and inexplicable trial is the perfect metaphor of human condition, struggling to control events and decisions and inevitably doomed to fail.
The writing style is not always easy to read and the narration follows the same rhythm of the trial: slow at first, but with a growing tension until... a shocking ending. Was it really shocking though? Don't we all know how human life works? Maybe... But how can we really know? We're just human in the end and life... well, life simply sucks.
Anyway, this is a complicated book, it's short but it's quite heavy in content. If you're looking for a light read, stay away from this, but if you enjoy philosophy and racking your brains, I'd definitely recommend The Trial.
4 stars.
This is the story of Josef K, a respectable bank officer who is suddenly and inexplicably arrested and must defend himself against a charge about which he can get no information. At first he thinks it's a joke, but things quickly become more complicated and Josef K. is struggling to find a way to end this painful situation.
The Trial is a short but endless nightmare, narrated in a very elegant and witty way. Nothing about this story sounds normal and yet it's filled with regular actions that we can do every day. It's incredible how Kafka translated into words the distress of the main character, a distress caused by society, by bureaucracy, by the church. It's upsetting how quickly his situation escalated, how claustrophobic and obsessive his problem turned out to be, and how cruel his life became. This absurd, painful and inexplicable trial is the perfect metaphor of human condition, struggling to control events and decisions and inevitably doomed to fail.
The writing style is not always easy to read and the narration follows the same rhythm of the trial: slow at first, but with a growing tension until... a shocking ending. Was it really shocking though? Don't we all know how human life works? Maybe... But how can we really know? We're just human in the end and life... well, life simply sucks.
Anyway, this is a complicated book, it's short but it's quite heavy in content. If you're looking for a light read, stay away from this, but if you enjoy philosophy and racking your brains, I'd definitely recommend The Trial.
4 stars.
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
”Det vore i själva verket så meningslöst att ta livet av sig att han, även om han verkligen hade velat, inte skulle vara i stånd till det just därför det var så meningslöst”
Har ett ord att säga om boken: bisarr
Har ett ord att säga om boken: bisarr
id say the trial is a very unpredictable novel. i feel the narrative is so simple to follow yet it can still cover complex ideas (like the Law and the idea of deception). although these complexities would last a while, the connection of these can be made to Kafka as a person and his life. unfortunate that this novel was never truly completed and so at the end there are the fragments that are just pieces left over from the whole. an amazing read.