Kafka's The Trial

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Kafka's The Trial

Comparing Franz Kafka with a more modern author, such as J.K. Rowling, is much like comparing Wilt Chamberlain to Kobe Bryant. It is extremely difficult to compare these two NBA stars when they played sixty years apart from one another. There are so many factors to consider including: the quality of coaching, competition, etc. Just like Chamberlain and Bryant, Kafka and any modern author are very difficult to put against one another. Kafka comes from a place and a situation that is foreign to almost everyone who reads him. How can he be compared to anyone but himself? Who is it that determines if Kafka is great or not? Even in basketball, there are statistics (points, rebounds, blocks) that can be compared, but in writing the only thing that can be compared is sales. Going by that, J.K. Rowling is in a league of her own compared to Kafka. The point that I am trying to make is that you as the reader can be the only determinant of this greatness. Yes; schools and universities do make you read the novel but the only person that can decide if it is truly a masterpiece is yourself. This essay will try to explain my opinion of why I think Franz Kafka, and more specifically The Trial, is something that has been taught and analyzed for over fifty years.

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