Kafka's Works -- The Castle (Volume 1)

Author: Kafka
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-11-01
Features: The most distinctive and important novel of Kafka in The Castle: Surveyor K is assigned to a castle but is unexpectedly blocked from entering its gates. Thus, the protagonist K engages in a prolonged and cumbersome seesaw battle with the castle authorities over whether he can enter the castle. The castle is located on a small hill right before him, yet it is always out of reach. It is so cold, imposing, and majestic, like a giant beast gazing down at K. It represents a vast bureaucratic institution, where the hierarchy is rigid, with countless departments and officials, yet endless documents are left piled up, neglected for years without ever being reviewed or processed. As for this powerful castle, K feels helpless, and until the very end, he never enters the castle or meets its authorities. The novel is shrouded in a mysterious, nightmarish atmosphere from beginning to end; it carries profound meanings, leaving readers pondering long after.