The Castle
Ratings27
Average rating3.9
15
Ratings27
Average rating3.9
The Castle (original title: "Das Schloß") is the story of K., the unwanted Land Surveyor who is never to be admitted to the Castle nor accepted in the village, and yet cannot go home. As he encounters dualities of certainty and doubt, hope and fear, and reason and nonsense, K.'s struggles in the absurd, labyrinthine world where he finds himself seem to reveal an inexplicable truth about the nature of existence. Kafka began The Castle in 1922 and it was never finished, yet this, the last of his three great novels, draws fascinating conclusions that make it feel strangely complete.
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Can a reader say I liked The Castle? Loved it? If one does, what does that say about the reader?
I think all would agree that The Castle has one of the oddest plots ever written. A man comes to a castle, wants to work there, and has to find ways to get the attention of the people in the castle. He never does much of anything in the story except try to gain entry to the castle and he never successfully does that.
It's the feeling of the book that is so close to the bone; it's a story of the feelings of modern life. Kafka captures the anxiety and the dread and the confusion and the anomie of day-to-day life in the world, and he does it in a way that makes the reader feel all the anxiety and the dread and the confusion and the anomie.
It's brilliant and terrifying. I'm glad I read it. I'm glad I'm done with it.
If you're searching for a work that embodies the "Kafkaesque" mood, this is one of Kafka's works that best captures it. In my opinion, this mood is even more pronounced in this book than in the popular short story "Metamorphosis." However, if you're not interested in exploring this mood, you might find the book less appealing. It can be confusing and repetitive, often leaving you with the feeling that you don't know what's happening.
One aspect that could be improved is the fact that the book was not finished. While this isn't a major issue, it did stand out to me more here than in some of Kafka's other works. I was left wanting more, which can be both a positive and a negative. It's something to keep in mind.
Overall, it's brilliant. I'm glad I read it, and I'm glad I'm done with it.
