Which book by Kafka do you think stands out as his best work?
My personal favourite is the The Castle.
It stands tall as something which you can never get in life, yet it is all we seek. I wished he completed it, the long drawn conversations are some of the most intriguing ones. The nature of duality, I lose myself to the point of agreeing with everyone.
Metamorphosis , stands second, then the trial and other short stories.
I have yet to read the other works. What do y'all think I should head for next?
by Scrambled_Rambler
7 Comments
Murakami on the Shore
I think The Trial is the best work for describing Kafka’s bibliography as a whole, but when it comes to literary skill I think his short stories are the best example of his ability, as though I love Kafka I feel sometimes he became a little lost during The Trial and The Castle. The Metamorphosis I think is a good work but a vastly overrated one as it’s just the more well known and more read Kafka work out there. Haven’t read Amerika though but I plan on doing so shortly. Either way Kafka is easily one of the best authors of the first half of the 20th century
I love the Metamorphosis for it’s (perhaps unintentional) ability to mean whatever you want it to. As a kid fresh out of college, I saw the story as a cautionary tale of not setting your aspirations high enough. Samsa settled for a life he didn’t want, because others had dictated it for him. He kept a little photo of a vacation spot that he never dared travel to, because his family had debt. And even though he was slaving to paying it off, his family are disgusted by his laziness and dirtiness. He was a burden on his family, not because he was a bug, but because he was a parasite, through and through. As a college kid, I saw myself in him.
As an adult, I see the Metamorphosis very differently, and that’s perhaps because Kafka left it so bare that everyone can make it mean what they want. I’ve read journals about how it stands for the Holocaust, or Feminism, how Gregor’s transformation is a blessing because he finally gets relieved of all the duties of being an adult. I don’t think it matters what it’s supposed to mean, because it will always mean something else. And from an author that usually presents a normal man in a confusing world, a confused man in a normal world makes for a far better commentary on society, in my opinion.
The Trial couldn’t hold my interest as a highschooler, but I intend to give it a try. The Castle is amazing, but first place goes to Metamorphosis for me.
ITT: Books I need to read.
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I really love *The Hunger Artist*.
The Trial for me.