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emma's Reviews > The Trial
The Trial
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by
emma's review
bookshelves: classics, owned, non-ya, 4-stars, recommend, project-clear-ur-sh-t, reviewed
Nov 10, 2021
bookshelves: classics, owned, non-ya, 4-stars, recommend, project-clear-ur-sh-t, reviewed
It's important, in this life, to have goals.
Sure, they are often a lesson in the enduring power of futility, our lack of free will as demonstrated by the ever-present arm of bureaucracy.
If your goal, for example, is à la our protagonist's, you will spend several years or 341 pages or the rest of your life or a wasted afternoon attempting to extricate yourself from mysterious charges from an absurd institution, progressing not at all in the achievement of this objective but at least proving both of the above arguments as well as manage to psychically predict the pointless cruelty of the American justice system a hundred years later.
But if your goal, à la my own, is simply to be able to use the word "Kafkaesque" whenever your little heart desires, you can read this, draw on your memories of the two times you've read The Metamorphosis in school, and be on your merry way.
Both sorts of aim give us purpose. And without the drive they grant us, even though it merely distracts us from the reality of what we are putting ourselves through daily at the hands of society, the government, and what have you...without the illusion of progress provided...
We have nothing.
Like our poor Josef K.
At least I have a whole new word to use.
Bottom line: This will make you look very melancholy and sophisticated when you read it on public transit (especially if you have the same vintage Modern Library edition I do), which is one of the best compliments I can pay a book.
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pre-review
"the real treasure was the friends we made along the way," except the real bureaucracy was our own lack of free will.
you know?
review to come / 4 stars
------------
currently-reading updates
just trying to unlock the ability to use the word "kafkaesque"
clear ur shit book 36
quest 17: read a book you've been putting off
Sure, they are often a lesson in the enduring power of futility, our lack of free will as demonstrated by the ever-present arm of bureaucracy.
If your goal, for example, is à la our protagonist's, you will spend several years or 341 pages or the rest of your life or a wasted afternoon attempting to extricate yourself from mysterious charges from an absurd institution, progressing not at all in the achievement of this objective but at least proving both of the above arguments as well as manage to psychically predict the pointless cruelty of the American justice system a hundred years later.
But if your goal, à la my own, is simply to be able to use the word "Kafkaesque" whenever your little heart desires, you can read this, draw on your memories of the two times you've read The Metamorphosis in school, and be on your merry way.
Both sorts of aim give us purpose. And without the drive they grant us, even though it merely distracts us from the reality of what we are putting ourselves through daily at the hands of society, the government, and what have you...without the illusion of progress provided...
We have nothing.
Like our poor Josef K.
At least I have a whole new word to use.
Bottom line: This will make you look very melancholy and sophisticated when you read it on public transit (especially if you have the same vintage Modern Library edition I do), which is one of the best compliments I can pay a book.
------------
pre-review
"the real treasure was the friends we made along the way," except the real bureaucracy was our own lack of free will.
you know?
review to come / 4 stars
------------
currently-reading updates
just trying to unlock the ability to use the word "kafkaesque"
clear ur shit book 36
quest 17: read a book you've been putting off
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Reading Progress
June 21, 2017
– Shelved
December 8, 2021
–
Started Reading
December 8, 2021
–
Finished Reading
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lem◍nade
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Nov 10, 2021 11:11AM
That looks like a keyboard smash
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Lem◍nade wrote: "That looks like a keyboard smash"but in a cultured way
This was a rollercoaster of "what?" and "huh?" and "I think this is profound but I'm not sure how," and finally, "actually profound" that I still can't wrap my head around. I too wanted to be able to say something is Kafkaesque, but honestly I cannot remember anything that I read here enough to know what Kafkaesque is. But then again, maybe that IS Kafkaesque
(sorry for replying so late) a sophisticated keyboard smash
Congrats to being able to sophisticatedly use a keyboard smash! Truly there's nothing in life that could top that
You should show a picture of the book cover that you have
Amanda wrote: "This was a rollercoaster of "what?" and "huh?" and "I think this is profound but I'm not sure how," and finally, "actually profound" that I still can't wrap my head around. I too wanted to be able ..."maybe the real kafkaesque was inside us all along
Fez wrote: "Congrats to being able to sophisticatedly use a keyboard smash! Truly there's nothing in life that could top that"i agree
Cassie Mohika wrote: "You should show a picture of the book cover that you have"for once i marked the right edition as read! it's this one
Using the word "Kafka-esque" makes you feel like both the best and the worst kind of person
Emma wrote: "Using the word "Kafka-esque" makes you feel like both the best and the worst kind of person"what i aspire to be
A stellar and amusing review Emma, of one of my favourite stories. Great stuff!!!
