The Castle by Franz Kafka

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"The Castle", follows a land surveyor named K.life in a small town as he attempts to gain access to a mysterious castle which ostensibly employed him. The castle, a symbol of bureaucracy and authority, seems to be inaccessible despite K.'s persistent efforts. The narrative is filled with Kafka's signature themes of alienation, bureaucracy, and the individual's struggle against an oppressive system. The novel, which Kafka never finished, is known for its open-ended nature, leaving many questions, like the exact nature of the castle, its inhabitants, and K.'s ultimate fate, unanswered. Kafka's ability to bizarre and distopian worlds is unmatched. So too the looming oppressive dred of authority which he interweaves as a constant underlying theme to his novels. 5/5

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