The Trial by Franz Kafka - 3.5 Stars Rounded to 4

[Regina Lindsey]

by Franz Kafka 3.5 Stars Rounded to 4

The protagonist, K, is a young and slightly arrogant banker. For seemingly no reason at all (at least no reason anyone ever reveals) he is arrested on his thirtieth birthday. Under house arrest he is allowed to continue working and retain certain freedoms. Eventually he is given very vague instruction on how to proceed with his trial proceedings. What ensues is a journey that keeps the reader and K unbalanced and sometimes unhinged.

This is one of those books I read and I realize just how simple minded I am. I can tell the work is brilliant, and I get some of it. On the surface the book is an absurd trial scene. But, lurking below, I get the sense Kafka is drawing on his experience as a Czech in the Austro-Hungarian empire, a German-speaker among Czechs, a Jew among German-speakers, and a disbeliever among Jews to portray limitations humans place on each other that can ultimately lead to destruction. The psychological aspects of K's self-destruction reminded me of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's writing.

As is often the case with good dystopian novels, since this was written in 1914, it is eerily prescient for conditions in WWII Europe

[Anita]

Interesting. I've never read Kafka. I also just finished a book that I could possibly be described as "work is brilliant, and I get some of it". I find books that I describe in that way somewhat frustrating. This sounds arrogant, but sometimes I'm left wondering, "if I don't get it who gets it?". I guess literature majors and people with Mensa level IQs.

[Regina Lindsey]

Anita wrote: "Interesting. I've never read Kafka. I also just finished a book that I could possibly be described as "work is brilliant, and I get some of it". I find books that I describe in that way somewhat fr..."

Coming from you I can understand the "who gets it?" thought. Me....I understand the limits of my brain. I'm too literal to truly appreciate some forms of literature. I can do historical analysis all day long but give me an allegory or a complicated metaphor and don't even mention stream of ...... :-)