This has to be the most boring book I've ever read. Are

My personal experience with Kafka's novels is that they always feel like bad dreams as I read them, but once I've gotten through them and contemplate them I realize how powerful the imagery and atmosphere are.
Seriously, I HATED The Castle while I was reading it but it was definitely a worthwhile experience.

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>Doesn't understand the irony of complaining about how boring The Trial was.

>>8276631

>Are Kafka's other stories more interesting or is he being praised as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature for a reason I do not understand at all?

The second one. The Trial is so amazing I honestly feel bad that you did not enjoy it.

>>8276675

To clarify my post: I work an office job where I deal with the IRS on a daily basis. The Trial's portrayal of bureaucracy is simultaneously one of the funniest and most depressing things I've ever read.

>>8276631

i thought it was marvelous, an image of life on 150? pages; and in german it flows perfectly, no words gratuitous, no sentence needless, the prose is among the best "germans" have ever created

>>8276631
>reading for plot

>>8276631
His short stories are much better imo. The Trial gets kinda boring sometimes. Try the metarmophosis or some of his 1-20 pages stories.

>>8276631
He is being praised as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature for reasons you do not understand at all.

yeah no, everyone in this thread is right, the trial is great, you didn't get it.

>>8276631
I thought the Penal Colony was pretty funny.

>>8277152
In The Penal Colony was brutal man, what are you talking about

>>8276650
Sorry, OP, but this guy has you pinned. Maybe you need to contemplate the themes and Joseph K's frustrations.

>>8276631
Maybe stick to John green buddy

I admit Kafka is great, but I also hate reading him. It's just too damn nasty.

>>8277218
It wasn't brutal until the very end. The stuff I genuinely laughed during included the officer getting really passionate about the machine and just hugs the visitor and lays his head on shoulder, the condemned man getting his puke all over the machine, the condemned man and the guard fighting over the rice.

Good keks.

>>8277505
>It's just too damn nasty.

wat

as a German I wonder how well Kafka is translatable into English for example.
It's not like his language is very complicated, but there is still probably something that gets lost. I guess I should just see it for myself.

>>8277562
Seek help

>>8279039
Loads of the ambiguity is lost, which is a large part of what gives his work character. Still worth reading though.

Must read The Hunger Artist. I thought the Metamorphosis was a little discomforting since the idea of being a beetle seems to impossible to escape from, something less extreme would make more sense. Interpretations of the Metamorphosis in literary textbook seem mundane and shallow so my opinion is muddled. Feel free to express your ideas about the Hunger Artist, I would like to see the viewpoint from another reader's perspective

>>8279291
how is reading the Metamorphosis in a language other than german? I'm guessing not as optimal, but is it still a good read?

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>>8279218

>>8276631
I want to get into Kafka, but I heard that he often didn't finish books. Which books did he not finish?

>>8279925
he did not finish The Trial for one

>>8279936
Then why even start? Seems a bit disappointing don't you think?

>>8279965
It doesn't really hurt at all in the case of The Trial if you ask me.

>>8279965
It still has the ending, the part that was unfinished was a middle part where he had a relationship with some girl I think, not crucial to the plot

>>8279965
the fact that much of his work is unfinished and published agaisnt his death wish of wanting it all burned only perpetuates the 'Kafkaesque' nature of it all

Amerika is his best work.

>>8280140
Is it?
It's been sitting on my shelf forever- I bought it simply because it's Kafka- and I haven't found the motivation to begin it because I've heard nothing if it beyond Borges' list of recommended reading

>>8280145
It's comical and hopeless, all at the same time. Just quit being a faggot and read it. It'll be worth your while.

>>8279291
the hunger artist was brilliant, i loved its portrayal of the public consciousness as one obsessed with material enjoyment from whatever they're consuming. brutal for sure, but definitely a cutting read.

>>8279039
I've looked at some translations of the Castle to compare them against the German and it just feels different. In English the language just seems incredibly neutral and boring even whereas in German the language is remarkable in how clean, controlled and formal it is.

>>8276631
Hi Vito
ur a pleb

>>8279925
He didn't finish any of his novels, (trial, castle, amerika) although the trial does have an ending. You should start with his short stories or the metarmophosis. They are arguably his best works.

>>8279039
Look how many verbs occur at the end of sentences, and then remember that you can't do that in English. He put a lot of effort into the ordering of words which is totally obliterated when translating.

>>8280145
Do you even like to read? It's 300 pages, you can read it in 3-4 days or you can read 50 pages and quit if you don't like it.

When I see comments about "motivation to read" I always question if you people like to read or read to look smart.

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>>8279291
>the idea of being a beetle seems to impossible to escape from
That's the point ya dingus

>>8276631
I hope you atleast read the letter to his father before you started any kafka story.

>>8281283
My list of books to read is large and always changing with my mood, it's difficult to get motivated by a book I know little about when it's sitting next to a bunch that I do