Franz Kafka

Let's discuss Kafka's works. I've just finished reading The Trial and I haven't been so captivated by a book in a while. I used to give up before the third chapter in my previous attempts to read it, because the subplot about Miss Bürstner seemed pretty boring to me, until I realized the protagonist was just really autistic about social matters in a kinda funny way. Then the third chapter gets slowly but surely surreal, and I realized his way of writing wasn't as awkward as I thought, but is a way to give introduce weird elements at a somehow natural pace for the reader. K.'s uncle is a pretty funny character, and the chapter in the cathedral is a nice subtle criticism of clergymen's interpretations of religious texts — which makes sense since he had anarchist leanings and rejected Judaism — and you also get there that Leni could have become a more interesting recurring character in a longer novel. Same with the painter, who emanates the same suffocating air as the bureaucracy operating in an attic. The short chapter about the flogger is pretty out there too. What is great about The Trial is that it is like a short TV series, or a collection of short stories within the same universe, exploring different situations with more or less random characters, because it was never a finished novel. Of course, the criticism of bureaucracy and the absurdity of the modern world is pretty important, yaddi yadda, some people smarter than me already talked about this, so I would rather emphasize the comedic aspects of the novel. Kafka seems to me like a quiet office worker with a strange and somewhat dark sense of humor, an intense internal world and a few qualms about how the Austro-Hungarian Empire was run, not totally unlike some imageboard posters. Otherwise, I've found "In the Penal Colony" pretty engaging and fuarrrked up last year or so. The Hunger Artist is a nice read too, but not as crazy. I've read The Metamorphosis when I was a pretentious teen, but I didn't like it. I think I'm gonna get a paper copy of The Castle on Saturday though, and I'm curious of Deleuze & Guattari's take on Kafka once I will be done with it. And (You), what do you think of Kafka? What short stories of his do you recommend?

>>4345 >to give introduce fugg

I read "Blumfeld, An Elderly Bachelor" when i was about 15. It led me to read most of Kafka's other stories, novels, and fragments. I haven't read "Amerika". Kafka presents the absurd in a way that makes it seem possible, even ordinary. "The Castle" is another good one. I'm not one for making literary analyses. I just like his stuff. I think many alienated people could identify with "K.".

kafka is great reading. so hilarious and haunting.

What are you think about The Castle? I have a paper version of this book and will finish reading in the days ahead. I think this novel look like description of existential crisis and totalitarian state.

>>4345 I've just finished reading The Trial too, the new translation by Breon Mitchell. What a book. I'm really impressed. The absurdism and comedy really got me hooked. I read The Metamorphosis when I was a teenager too, but The Trial is just another level of sheer madness. I'd love to discuss the The Cathedral chapter, really dense one. I love the way Kafka writes and describes the situation without describing the characters physically very well, everything seems blurred. The contrast with the way he describes the atmosphere of each scene is huge, like when he talks about the air of the courts or the painters' house (which is in courts!) being oppressive. My favorite part is, by far, when Josef K. heads for the courts for the first time, in the beginning, and strangely finds what he was looking for while randomly inventing a situation (finding a carpenter if I remember correctly) to look for. This kind of scene makes me think about how crazy K. and makes the reader doubts whether that's happening or K. is just crazy.

>>4492 Same poster here. I really want to start reading The Castle. Can anyone suggest a translation?

The Metamorphosis may be my favourite book, has analogies to apartmentalized neet lifestyles. I'm kinda saving The Trail for future reading, The Castle was an uncomfortable fever dream, dunno if it was respectful of Kafka's friends to release it. Still an interesting book though.

>>4497 It's hilarious how Metamophorsis relates contemporarily. It's like the meme with the judgemental girls/family staring at the picture POV style

https://www.mangadex.org/title/23360/kafka-classics-in-comics

>>4497 I just read The Metamorphosis a few days ago and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a nice twist of humor, a slightly dark tone, and just plain depressing. I haven't read any of Kafka's other works though, are they similar?

>>4345 >I would rather emphasize the comedic aspects >What short stories of his do you recommend? Challenge: find something funny in The Judgement.

>>4345 I love Kafka but I always feel strange reading translations, surrealistic works in particular, I end up comparing many different versions and questioning the word choice. I might prefer version A in one place, and version B or C in another. Here's my favorite short story by him.

>>4780 > It was a nice twist of humor, a slightly dark tone, and just plain depressing. you just described all of kalfka's work

Is the Trial supposed to be funny? Im quite stranged by the posts above me, I read the book some months ago and I remember it as really dark and opressive, absurd, yes, but more in a manic disturbing way than a comedic one. I understood it as a portrait of social anxiety in the burocracy of the modern world. I really don't see how these other anons can find it funny.

>>4934 "You see, Willem, he admits that he doesn't know the Law and yet he claims he's innocent."

>>4935 I just see it as him showing how frustrating it is to talk to other people and to express yourself.

>>4936 Using irony.

>>4937 scary irony

I gave up on The Trial years ago. All i remember was hating the focus on some girl and relationship bullshit. I liked Metamorphosis a lot

The Muir translations are the best english language versions of his works.

these sketches were made by himself

>>4345 I really liked "The Bucket Rider" short story. Really underrated and definitely one of my favourites from him. I know this could sound strange but I liked it better than The Metamorphosis.

>>4345 You missed the point of the trial. I will give you four hints: -reread the beginning and the end -the crime is itself narrated (briefly) -the criminal himself condemns his crime -there is a karmic simile between crime and punishment The system is God, bringing judgement upon a sinner who refuses to consciously face his sin.

>>4345 stop talking bullshit. Kafka tried to integrate more in jewish culture, and he had no anarchist thoughts, some intellectuals think that because one of his novels (the castle) is a critique to society and the state (one of his interpretations) not for The Trial. You should read more Kafka's books, he is more a self-introducing writer

>>4345 lol people actually read this guy? i read the metamorphosis and found it boring too and he isnt really talked about in online /lit/ circles. I know hes very acclaimed by mainstream lit circles but i dont really know where to start with his work

>>6235 >The Metamorphosis >The Trial >The Judgement Don't worry if you didn't like one you'll like at least one of the other two

>>6244 i really like Kafka, i have read a lot of books by him; i only hate when some people dont understand well his literature

>>6221 >the crime is itself narrated (briefly) Where?

I just finished Metamorphosis a few days ago, after putting a A Tale of Two Cities on hold two-thirds in. It had that abstract quality, never focusing on world-building but on the raw emotions that caused Gregor and his family's metamorphosis. I can't wait to read more of his short stories and novels, especially when I feel burnt out and in need of a change.

Should I cancel development on protocol7 then? I sent you an e-mail. I've only got a couple submissions for p7 anyway so it wouldn't hurt to either put it on haitus or cancel it. Up to the community. >bruh like it was under development I lost internet/had some life issues come up. Still time to meet the 3 month window. Sorry Lainanons.

>>6802 wtf how did i post here ignore this lainons

>>6782 >the crime is itself narrated (briefly) >Where? Bumping because this is a good question.

bumping this gem of a thread. I really like Kafka's work from what I've read so far. Once I'm done with the Dostoevsky book I'm reading atm I might read The trial. It seems great, and Kafka was quite influenced by Dostoevsky.

“now I’m even losing my name—it was getting shorter and shorter all the time and is now: Yours” Don't get me wrong, his stories are his most accessible work and are the best place to start, but his letters to Milena contain a completeness that is lacking in the rest of his work.

I have only read Metamorphosis by him. Solid, but I didn't find it all that impressive. Guess my expectations were just too high since he's often praised so much. His style is very unique and I did enjoy it somewhat. Clever, but it's also very depressing. I never understood why the main character just completely gave up on communicating with everyone.else, things could have gone differently if only he did.

i love kafka. the first work of his that i read was the metamorphosis, in seventh grade. after that i got a collection of his short stories (the stoker, aphorisms, introduction to amerika, etc.) i'm reading the trial right now and i like it a lot. >inb4 ifunny logo

>>7644 The crime is never given in "The Trial", and I doubt that pretentious poser has ever even read the book. Usually, when someone claims to understand the "real meaning" of a book that no one else gets, the person is delusional.

>>4345 As someone who was forced to read him in the German original decades ago (I went to school in Germany) and who is still traumatized by it: Kafka is a failed abortion, he died 27 years to late, he should never ever have written anything. There is not a single author more boring, more pretentious, more "lets-waste-the-readers-time" than Kafka. Nothing about his writings, nothing whatsoever, is worth studying or discussing. The only reason he got famous is because his writings were published after his death, so people were like "omfg, teh poor artist". His reputation is just as unearned and disconnected from reality as Apple's, if not more. If being stupid would squeak, Kafka would have never left his house without an oil can.

>>10327 >As someone who was forced to read him in the German original decades ago (I went to school in Germany) and who is still traumatized by it >traumatized by it lol >There is not a single author more boring How did something so boring "traumatize" you? >His reputation is just as unearned and disconnected from reality as Apple's Now you're just mixing Apples and Kafkas, tsk. >If being stupid would squeak, Kafka would have never left his house without an oil can. And yet he earned a law degree and worked as a lawyer. Pretty amazing for someone so stupid, eh? Thanks for your peculiar but amusing post.

I reread the Metamorphosis recently, I had read it as a teenager but I found it more impactful reading it at 24. It broke my heart, I hardly ever feel that kind of immense sadness from literature. I saw myself in Gregor, he lives for others at the cost of himself. It wasn't just heartbreak, it was anger too. At the beginning of the story, the only thing on his family's mind is their income that their losing by Gregor missing work; any concern they may have is feigned. Gregor sacrificed himself as an individual for the sake of his family and they couldn't give a soykaf. He loves them deeply, especially his sister, but they only love, or more accurately put up with Gregors carefully manicured version of himself. He hides himself, he does it again more explicitly after his metamorphosis. He won't even reveal himself when his sister comes in his room because he knows how disgusting he is. The saddest moment in the story for me was when his sister is playing her violin to the family and the tenants. Gregor fantasizing about sharing a beautiful moment of intimacy with his sister and reaching out to her only for the reaction to be terror and anger. Then for the next segment to include his sister being the first to suggest getting rid of Gregor just seals it all. Gregor and his sister are the only two family members implied to be at all close and for the novella to end with her betrayal was crushing.

I really liked The Trial because of how confusing everyhing was. While reading the novel I felt exactly as confused as K., but that just made me want to keep reading to see how it would all end.

David Foster-Wallace has a nice essay on the greatness of Kafka's humor and why students often don't get it.

>>10327 I like his works, specially The Trial, but I hate the people who constantly praise and talk about his work, specially now that he's kind of instagram/tiktok's little child for classic lit. Reading any quotes from his diaries makes me want to fuarrrking vomit and whoever says a somewhat handsome, young, jewish banker living in Germany has "le depressing artist life" is doing discredit to artists and people that have actually suffered. Insuferably whiny bastard and he obviously knew he could act in such a whimpy way to sneak out sympathy out of the people around him.