The Trial by Franz Kafka Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Trial
Book Review: Beware of Translations
Summary: 5 Stars
Kafka is a genius. This is no exaggeration. His work is total brilliance, but this translation is not. The Muirs destroy the beauty of Kafka's writing and change the text. Do not buy this translation, but get the newer one by Breon Mitchell. It's not perfect, but it is based on the restored original text and Mitchell allows the true Kafka to show through. The Muirs impose their spiritual inerpretations upon the text where there is none, and their imperfect, self-taught knowledge of German doesn't allow the reader to appreciate Kafka's ability to use always the perfect word. The story however is amazing. You can't go wrong with Kafka.Book Review: Boring Book
Summary: 1 Stars
this book is boring and doesn't make any sense, i wonldn read it againBook Review: Boring after the first half of the book.
Summary: 2 Stars
There is no doubt Kafka is a brillant writer. But this is and endless book after the first half were it draws you in and spits you out for everBook Review: Chilling . . .
Summary: 5 Stars
"You don't need to accept everything as true, you only need to accept it as necessary."
How true, for in this chilling novel, truth and justice cease to exist in a conventional sense. The traditional ideals of law and justice are inverted, as it is the accused who is blind and justice is pre-determined. Indeed, the courts and law system render an unfathomable, surreal-like existence. The accuser is kept in a dark abyss of ignorance, not only in the actual charges brought forth against him, but in the very foundation of the court system within which he is entrapped.
The "Court" operates outside the normal legal system and is a clandestine and faceless bureaucracy. It seems as if everything belongs to the Court, for they can invade the lives of the accused with impunity - in their home, their workplace, and even into the recesses of their mind. Indeed, the psychological torture and self-abasement is one of the key tools of the Court. The only interaction one has with this system is through low-level judges, magistrates, and lawyers in dank, hidden courtrooms. Yet, one has to devote his life (or what's left of it) to seeking influence from mysterious characters. For the actual facts of the case matter none, but the influence of the others matter the most. Yet, any defense is completely futile, for no one can escape their ultimate fate. Judgment is handed down by High Level "deities" who no one knows. It seems as if the best one can hope for is to forestall the trial through an endless cycle of influence peddling and evasive action, for to receive an actual acquittal is only a legend and not within the realm of possibility.
In a sense, the accused is condemned as soon as he is arrested. Although he is ostensibly free, the mental weight of the impending trial and the complete ignorance of the charges and laws reduces the accused to a shell of a man. The oppressive, stifling torment of the Courts is echoed in the actual living spaces of their offices, as they contain only the most stale, unhealthy air of the attics of tenements in the slums of the city.
The fact that "The Trial" was published posthumously and is unfinished, does bring forth some irregularities. Some of the characters, such as Miss Burstner, are alluded to having a more important role, but this is never explored. Other ephemeral characters come and go without explanation, as they are just blips on the radar in Josef's incessant march toward his ultimate fate. There are also gaps in the storyline with no explanation. However, given with the tone and surreal nature of this novel, this seems to fit.
Honestly, my review doesn't do this book justice. It is an enthralling, suspenseful read. It leaves a strange taste in one's mouth and an unsettled feeling in one's soul. I would put this in the same category as Orwell's 1984. Overall, I consider this a must-read.
Book Review: Deep and well-concealed intentions
Summary: 4 Stars
Critics have argued for years over the meaning of Kafka's multi-layered and unfinished novel. Is it a satire of the Austro-Hungarian bureaucracy of Kafka's day? Does it foretell the psychological weapons used by totalitarian regimes that would later haunt the 20th century? Is it a simple poison pen letter to the legal system? For me it is, above all, an examination of the role of religion in society, a parable about how organized religion keeps its power over mankind by obscuring our path to salvation and by making us dependent upon its arbitrary rules. (This view of the novel, by the way, is pretty well hidden until the later chapters.) Perhaps Kafka intended all of the above and more.
Whatever you might read into the story, once the initial premise is set up, the storyline becomes tedious. I just wanted him to get to the point already. Yet as soon as K. decides to dismiss his lawyer -- the point at which the religious parallels first began to strike me -- the story became more interesting again.
As for the prose, Kafka's writing is simple and clear, easy to follow. Scenery description is concise and always holds a deeper significance. The dialogue is fairly lifelike, but the characters, the situations, and all their interactions possess a nightmarish quality to them.
The bottom line is that while I'm glad I read it, I don't think I'll go back to it when I'm looking for an entertaining read. This is a philosophical novel of ideas, one worthy of classroom discussion, but, except for the set up and conclusion, it's not a page turner to curl up with at home in front of your fireplace.