Book Review
The Trial (by Franz Kafka)
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- “The Trial” also reminded me of Camus’s work. K.’s outrage at his arrest drives him to seek a deeper understanding of the workings of the court. But he is confronted with an essentially a-rational system, one devoid of reason. This leads to an absurdity very reminiscent of Camus’s existentialism. K. is left alienated and indifferent, much like Meursault in The Stranger. Where The Trial departs from existentialism though, is in the second half, when K. persists with his burning desire to defend himself.
- In modern times, “The Trial'' has been used to sound the alarm against unchecked power. It’s depiction of a dystopian society has also been used by thinkers to warn about opacity — both the institutional and algorithmic kind. I even wrote an article last week that opens with an account of K’s trial. The best books are timeless, and Kafka’s fits the bill.