Marianne asked this question about The Trial:
It was great until the end. What really happened at the end? I got the impression that Mr. Kafka could think of no conclusion and just ended the story. Like maybe he was intending a sequel?
Emilia Sur Hello!. IN the edition I read, there were afterwords from Max Brod and in one of them he shares a conversation with Franz Kafka. This conversation rev…moreHello!. IN the edition I read, there were afterwords from Max Brod and in one of them he shares a conversation with Franz Kafka. This conversation reveals that Kafka had written the first and the last chapters, so as to have an outline which to fill withe the rest of the story.
While the story unfolded and Josef K. sees his cause relayed to ever further and higher-placed and thus more elusive authorities, Kafka noticed that the story could enter an endless loop, so "cutting" the story short and "pasting" the final chapter on that seemed the solution for this novel. And it is what he chose and what we have.
I hope this helps.(less)
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