Das Schloß

German language

Published May 1, 1982

ISBN:
978-3-10-038135-4
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The Castle (German: Das Schloss, also spelled Das Schloß [das ˈʃlɔs]) is a 1926 novel by Franz Kafka. In it a protagonist known only as "K." arrives in a village and struggles to gain access to the mysterious authorities who govern it from a castle supposedly owned by Count Westwest. Kafka died before he could finish the work, but suggested it would end with K. dying in the village, the castle notifying him on his death bed that his "legal claim to live in the village was not valid, yet, taking certain auxiliary circumstances into account, he was permitted to live and work there." Dark and at times surreal, The Castle is often understood to be about alienation, unresponsive bureaucracy, the frustration of trying to conduct business with non-transparent, seemingly arbitrary controlling systems, and the futile pursuit of an unobtainable goal.

15 editions

Suche nach Zugehörigkeit im Nebel der Macht: Kafkas Das Schloss

Franz Kafkas unvollendeter Roman Das Schloss zählt zu den zentralen Werken der literarischen Moderne und entfaltet ein düsteres Panorama bürokratischer Absurdität und existenzieller Entfremdung. Im Zentrum steht der Landvermesser K., der in ein abgelegenes Dorf kommt, um dort – angeblich im Auftrag des Schlosses – eine Anstellung anzutreten. Doch je mehr er versucht, Zugang zu den Behörden des Schlosses zu erlangen, desto mehr verstrickt er sich in undurchsichtige Strukturen, widersprüchliche Aussagen und das Schweigen einer anonymen Macht.

Das Schloss selbst bleibt dabei ein fernes Symbol: präsent und bestimmend, aber nie greifbar. K.s Bemühungen um Klarheit, Anerkennung und Integration in die Dorfgemeinschaft scheitern an einem System, das weder nachvollziehbar noch verlässlich ist.

Kafka zeichnet ein Bild von einem Menschen, der gegen eine unsichtbare Ordnung ankämpft – ohne offene Konfrontation, aber mit permanenter Reibung. Der Roman thematisiert die Spannung zwischen individueller Autonomie und institutionalisierten Machtmechanismen, wobei Sprache, Identität und …

Review of 'The Castle' on 'Goodreads'

There's something very comforting about this book, it definitely lives up to the Kafka feel but there's just something slightly different to me about this one. The secondhand frustration as a result of watching K. and his desperation to get in that castle... It's just very human, not a lot of writers can achieve bringing comfort by inducing frustration and I think this has actually become one of my favourites.

Reread this book twice over the course of the past two days and might even go in for a third read. It apparently goes hand in hand with "The Trial" so I'll be giving that a read soon too.

5/5 and a definite recommend!

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