David Fishelson
Paperback | Pages: 59 pages Rating: 4.07 | 27518 Users | 220 Reviews
Declare Out Of Books Franz Kafka's The Castle (Dramatization)
| Title | : | Franz Kafka's The Castle (Dramatization) |
| Author | : | David Fishelson |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Anniversary Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 59 pages |
| Published | : | June 1st 2003 by Dramatist's Play Service (first published January 1st 2003) |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Classics. Literature. Thriller. Philosophy |
Explanation Supposing Books Franz Kafka's The Castle (Dramatization)
There is a lot of talk about Kafka and nightmares – and with good reason. However, his nightmares are never quite what you might expect - expectations are always a problem when reading Kafka, firsst they get in the way and then they get dashed. In Metamorphosis there is the ‘yuck’ factor of the main character becoming an insect – but that is hardly the ‘nightmare’ of that book. In The Trial the point is in being accused of something, but never being told what it is you have been accused of, but still needing to defend yourself in some way all the same.The Castle is even more of a nightmare again. This book was never finished and the version I’ve just finished reading ends where Kafka abandoned it, mid-sentence, with yet another new character about to say something terribly important to the central character ‘K’.
You might think that this would be a bit of a pain – in fact, the book ending was a relief. Like waking from a nightmare it really is okay that it is over. There was never going to be a happy ending to this book.
That might make it sound like I didn’t enjoy reading it – and that wouldn’t be the right impression to leave you with. This is a remarkable book and one that has much to say about how we construct our reality and how we interpret the realities constructed by others to explain how their world ‘works’. That is what the book is 'about' - and a sensitive reader will be struck by how often they interpret what is going on around them with as little 'proof' to try to make sense of the world.
Of course, the book could be a guide book on how to construct a totalitarian regime – if such a guide book was ever needed. Let’s face it, we humans, even the best of us, are remarkably innovative when it comes to constructing nightmares for others to live in and really don’t need any instructions from fiction. I mean, Abu Ghraib anyone? No, I think not.
The way to construct a Kafkaesque nightmare – if you are ever in charge of such things and are feeling a little bored – is to add endless levels to society and virtually no real communication between any of these levels - except, of course orders that must be followed - but must be first interpreted by those who receive them. Then create bizarre rituals (investigations or committee meetings or such) that either have no meaning at all or infinitely more meaning than can be guessed from them. These can take place in bedrooms, so they appear to be informal, but actually are the opposite. Make sure minor decisions that seem to have no import end up being life altering in ways that are completely unpredictable. In fact, make sure that just about every outcome can’t be predicted prior to it happening.
Yes, I know, it all sounds a bit like home…
Which is the problem with reading Kafka – it is very familiar, it is the familiar turned up loud. But then, aren’t those always the worst kind of nightmares?
Particularize Books To Franz Kafka's The Castle (Dramatization)
| Original Title: | Franz Kafka's The Castle |
| ISBN: | 082221900X (ISBN13: 9780822219002) |
| Edition Language: | English |
Rating Out Of Books Franz Kafka's The Castle (Dramatization)
Ratings: 4.07 From 27518 Users | 220 ReviewsAssess Out Of Books Franz Kafka's The Castle (Dramatization)
The fact that Kafka died before he resolved the plot made this novel more of a mystery to me. The plot is slow; a man enters a city and wishes to speak to the head of the castle, yet cannot seem to break through the bureaucracy to even get a foot in the door. Towards the end of the novel, he actually seems to be getting somewhere (although not through the proper channels) and it abruptly cuts off as it gets to the good stuff! I felt that the main character's struggles are so analagous the theNot good at all
First half: delicious weirdness.Second half: hard to get through. Like everything else Kafka wrote, The Castle is an unfinished project. Mark Harman (no, not the guy from Jag), the translator, explains his agenda here is to give us as an English version that's as close to the text as Kafka left it as he can get.This is great for Kafka scholars, but tough on readability: Kafka used little punctuation, and even less paragraph breaks. The second half gets so tedious I could only read a couple of
Kafka is a hell of a humorist, morbid as he is. The overarching irony in reading The Castle, is that we remain excluded from the castle. The characters that Kay (the protagonist) encounters are constantly supporting or denouncing one another, vying for plebian positions in the village of an unnamed, backwards European country. The rules of etiquette and means by which one gains distinction there are ever-changing. Somewhere nearby looms the castle whose inner-workings are unclear and whose
This and Trial are extremely helpful in understanding social and work life. What's great about both of them is that you can never pin down them down to a particular allegory. You read and say, "Oh this is obviously about relating to God" and then that seems untrue, that it's about ambition and how modernity destroys the individual, and more interpretations emerge. Like fairy tales. Only problem is the paragraphs are so enormous I get squirmy.
Kafka's writing style is very challenging at points, droning on with long, highly punctuated sentences, and even longer paragraphs... sometimes spanning 10 pages. Somehow... its utterly annoying and totally engaging at the same time, very bizarre.Overall, it's a pity the book was unfinished, cause I was finally starting to get into it. For those who don't know, the book literally ends in mid-sentence.The main character K. speaks for Kafka's obvious hatred for bureaucracy and authority. Toward
I am told this is a masterpiece of existentialist and absurdist literature, and the influence on modern art is unmistakable. Having said that, reading Kafka is like watching a prolonged Mentos commercial, it inspires a puzzled frown and the quizzical thought, "Is that German?"
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