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Old 12-03-2009, 04:53 PM   #16
Vector
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CharlieBird View Post
You have nailed exactly why I have been having so much trouble w/this book...Joseph is such an unsympathetic character, a complete jerk.
Well, Joseph's character may be part of the explanation, but I doubt it's the whole story. I suspect if you thought about it you probably could recall books that you enjoyed without liking the principal character.

Quote:
Originally Posted by CharlieBird View Post
It's probably the case that I am not an allegorically (is that a word?) inclined reader.
This is probably more to the point. The genre, whatever it should be called, seems to be the problem for a lot of people. It's just not to everybody's taste. You have to be willing to enter an unpleasant world. Kafka was not interested in making his readers comfortable.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Vector View Post
How would it change the book if Joseph were more likeable or admirable?
I'll take a stab at answering my own question. If Joseph were a much better person, it would risk turning the story into a simple tale of persecuted innocence. If Joseph were much worse, say a murderer, it would risk turning the story into a simple tale of crime and punishment. As it is, the book is no simple tale of anything but something provocative and disturbing.
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