The Trial
by Franz Kafka
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At a glance:
- Author: Franz Kafka
- First Published: 1925
- Type of Work: Novel
- Genres: Long fiction, Absurdist literature, Novel
- Subjects: Justice, Prisoners, Murder or homicide, Twentieth century, Surrealism, Alienation, Trials, Law or legislation, Symbolism, Germany or German people, Paranoia, Courts or courtrooms
- Locales: Europe, Germany
The Work
The Trial was begun in July, 1914, when Kafka turned thirty-one. He had just broken off his first engagement to Felice Bauer. He had also been unable to write any literature for more than a year, and he was feeling simultaneously frustrated by this writer’s block and guilty for having been unfair to either Bauer or himself (depending on how one looked at it). Out of this inner turmoil arose The Trial, which was completed within six months.
Like all Kafka’s writing, The Trial achieves a fine balance between the real and the...
(The entire page is 1024 words.)
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Popular Questions
See all »- Would it be right to say that if Joseph K. had learned law, he wouldn't have had to go through so much hardship in The Trial?
- What is the most significant achievement of Kafka's story "The Trial?" Why is this an important example of modern literature, and how...
- Can you explain the meaning of the trial in retrospect in Kafka's The Trial?
