Friday, April 3, 2020

Book Review of "The Trial" by Franz Kafka


The genre of the novel “The Trial” by Franz Kafka is Philosophical fiction, Absurdist fiction, Dystopian fiction, and Paranoid fiction. Philosophical fiction refers to the class of works of fiction which devote a significant portion of their content to the sort of questions normally addressed in philosophy. Absurdist fiction is a genre of fictional narrative, most often in the form of a novel, play, poem, or film that focuses on the experiences of characters in situations where they cannot find any inherent purpose in life. Dystopian fiction is a genre of fictional writing used to explore social and political structures in dark, nightmare world. Paranoid fiction is a term sometimes used to describe works of literature that explore the subjective nature of reality and how it can be manipulated by force in power. Joseph K. is the main protagonists in the novel, he is a chief clerk in the bank, seeking justice constantly from the corrupt and the lethargic court. K. was arrested for committing a crime that he never knew about, this led him into facing his own faults and weakness.

The main conflict in “The Trial” is man vs. society. Man vs. society is an external conflict that involves a protagonist at odds with a ruling body, social, or cultural norms. In the court, they had their own set of laws so that they would manipulate people into thinking that they did commit something, K. had no other choice but to fight for his justice. What I like about the book was that it went straight to the subject of what the novel is about, I also like how Joseph K. fought for his justice and his freedom during some of the chapters. What I dislike about the book is the translation and the style of the book, I also dislike how the court manipulating the law. What I also didn’t like was how Joseph K. gave up in the ending, I know that he was tired of what the court and the two warders were treating him but he could’ve still fought for his justice. If you a type of person who likes to read mystery books than I recommend you to read “The Trial”, it’s a very good and interesting book but you would get confused while reading only because of the translation.