44 pages • 1 hour read
The Trial
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Summary and Study Guide
Overview
Book Details
The Trial, an unfinished novel by Franz Kafka, was written in the 1910s and published posthumously in 1925. One of Kafka’s most famous works, it is a nightmarish story where the rules of reality are bent and twisted as the protagonist, Josef K., is prosecuted for a crime whose nature is never revealed to him.
Literary Movement & Major Themes
Written at a pivotal moment in European history, The Trial has become one of the foundational texts of literary modernism, commenting on both the tortuous bureaucracies of the late imperial era and, presciently, on the totalitarian regimes that rose as those empires collapsed after World War I. Written in a rigorously realist style, the novel lends itself to widely varied interpretative approaches, touching on psychological, social, and political themes including The Relationship between Law and Guilt, Inaccessible of Systems of Power, and The Absurdity of Bureaucracy.
Film Adaptations
In 1962, Orson Welles directed the first film adaptation of The Trial with Anthony Perkins starring as Josef K. David Jones directed a BBC film version in 1993, which stars Kyle MacLachlan as Josef K. and features performances from Anthony Hopkins, Jason Robards, and Alfred Molina.
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Related Titles
By Franz Kafka
