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4.5
The more of Kafka I read the more I see his impact on authors I enjoy (Jorge Luis Borges, Haruki Murakami, Vladimir Nabokov etc). This is an unfinished work and u can kind of tell at times, but still, it never felt disjointed and the cut up vignette-like style works really well for this story. It's actually such a fun book once you get past the beginning, it started slow but it def had me by the end.
I've read a chapter of Deleuze & Guattari's [b:Kafka: Toward a Minor Literature|22913|Kafka Toward a Minor Literature|Gilles Deleuze|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386922156l/22913._SY75_.jpg|526610] for a college course, specifically the one about minority languages, and I think I agree with their conception of his work as so subversive in part due to his circumstance as a Jew within the Austro-Hungarian empire (although I can't rly speak on the linguistic element of their theory as I read this in English). The absurdist humor of many of the situations that K. finds himself in are definitely derived from his underdog positioning & very anti-bureaucratic - themes of subjugation, alienation, helplessness and being chronically misunderstood recur in p much every scene. These themes were also very pervasive in [b:The Metamorphosis|485894|The Metamorphosis|Franz Kafka|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1646444605l/485894._SY75_.jpg|2373750] which I read again earlier this year, and similarly to The Metamorphosis, the unusual circumstances that start the novel are a means to highlight previously existing problems. Whereas Gregor's transformation made visible his family's cruel treatment of him and his own self loathing, K.'s arrest under false pretenses is an indictment of totalitarian government and the arbitrary and political nature of arrest and criminality. Both are outcasted and ultimately by forces beyond their control. I'm curious now to read [b:The Diaries of Franz Kafka|7986584|The Diaries of Franz Kafka 1910-1913|Franz Kafka|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1414264721l/7986584._SY75_.jpg|12444681] because damn his main characters are always going thru it.
But I'll stop rambling now!! I liked this and imo its a necessary read if you have the time & patience.
The more of Kafka I read the more I see his impact on authors I enjoy (Jorge Luis Borges, Haruki Murakami, Vladimir Nabokov etc). This is an unfinished work and u can kind of tell at times, but still, it never felt disjointed and the cut up vignette-like style works really well for this story. It's actually such a fun book once you get past the beginning, it started slow but it def had me by the end.
I've read a chapter of Deleuze & Guattari's [b:Kafka: Toward a Minor Literature|22913|Kafka Toward a Minor Literature|Gilles Deleuze|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386922156l/22913._SY75_.jpg|526610] for a college course, specifically the one about minority languages, and I think I agree with their conception of his work as so subversive in part due to his circumstance as a Jew within the Austro-Hungarian empire (although I can't rly speak on the linguistic element of their theory as I read this in English). The absurdist humor of many of the situations that K. finds himself in are definitely derived from his underdog positioning & very anti-bureaucratic - themes of subjugation, alienation, helplessness and being chronically misunderstood recur in p much every scene. These themes were also very pervasive in [b:The Metamorphosis|485894|The Metamorphosis|Franz Kafka|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1646444605l/485894._SY75_.jpg|2373750] which I read again earlier this year, and similarly to The Metamorphosis, the unusual circumstances that start the novel are a means to highlight previously existing problems. Whereas Gregor's transformation made visible his family's cruel treatment of him and his own self loathing, K.'s arrest under false pretenses is an indictment of totalitarian government and the arbitrary and political nature of arrest and criminality. Both are outcasted and ultimately
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An aside: I was going to say something about Kafka's depiction of women in this novel but I don't even have the energy. It was dumb. At first I thought their actions toward K. meant something but this was just written by a man I fear!! Leni was my fav character tho lolBut I'll stop rambling now!! I liked this and imo its a necessary read if you have the time & patience.