The Castle by Franz Kafka (Book Analysis)

This practical and insightful reading guide offers a complete summary and analysis of The Castle by Franz Kafka. It provides a thorough exploration of the novel’s plot, characters and main themes, including in particular the search for meaning in an incomprehensible world. The clear and concise style makes for easy understanding, providing the perfect opportunity to improve your literary knowledge in no time.

This clear and detailed 28-page reading guide is structured as follows:

• Biography of Franz Kafka
• Presentation of The Castle
• Summary of The Castle
• Character study
  • K., the surveyor
  • Frieda
  • Klamm
  • The assistants
  • Barnabas
  • Amalia
• Analysis of The Castle
  • A stranger who is annoying by essence
  • Uncertainties and variation
  • An allegorical novel?

About The Castle

The Castle is Franz Kafka’s third and final novel. It tells the story of a surveyor, referred to only as K., who tries to settle in a new village, but comes up against the faceless and remote authorities who govern it. K. does not understand the rules of the new world he finds himself in, and embarks on a lengthy and pointless struggle to communicate with an immovable bureaucracy. The Castle is a thought-provoking work that resists easy interpretation, and critics have found a vast range of possible meanings in it.

About Franz Kafka

Franz Kafka was a German-language writer whose fiction reflects the alienation felt by many people in Europe and North America during the 20^th century, and deals with themes such as the power of social forces and the vain search for answers in an incomprehensible world. He wrote numerous novels and short stories, and his best-known works include The Metamorphosis, The Trial and The Castle. Although he was relatively little-known during his lifetime, his popularity increased after his death: his works are now widely read and studied, and he is generally considered to be one of the greatest writers of the 20^th century.