Kafka as metafiction, how imposed guilt in The Trial reveals a novel whose inspiration prevents its completion

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Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Knowledge Commons (Lakehead University)
Published
2026-09-18
DOI
https://doi.org/10.17613/pqv72-z3w87
Primary Topic
Franz Kafka Literary Studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Kafka as metafiction, how imposed guilt in The Trial reveals a novel whose inspiration prevents its completion

Lloyd Beesley
Knowledge Commons (Lakehead University)
Franz Kafka Literary Studies
article

Kafka as metafiction, how imposed guilt in The Trial reveals a novel whose inspiration prevents its completion

Lloyd Beesley
article en

Abstract

This paper analyses imposed guilt in The Trial, how accusation renders the accused not only unable, but unworthy of escaping the restrictions that prevent them from proving their innocence, a life lived as though they were guilty serving as proof that they were guilty, and thus that their mistreatment was justified. Living their entire lives as if they were guilty is both the mechanism for proving their guilt, their punishment for failing to prove their innocence, and the very thing that prevents them from proving their innocence, and so "the proceedings gradually turn into the verdict". It then justifies treating the novel as metafiction, shows how a reader can be encouraged by the novel itself to regard the creation of the novel, without needing any knowledge of the historical Kafka. It then applies the theme of imposed guilt back onto the novel, showing how an artist is rendered not only unable, but unworthy of creating art without having first created art to serve as proof of their worthiness. Before the Law thus reads as an allegory for how The Trial was inspired by how it could never be completed, and so could only be written by someone who could not finish it, and so the priests claim that there is no contradiction between the statements "he cannot let the man into the Law just now" and that "this entrance was intended for you alone" is justified, the novel is intended to be written only by the person who is not allowed to finish it. Contact me at [email protected]

Knowledge Commons (Lakehead University)
Peace, Justice and strong institutions
Openalex Percentile: Top 1%
Franz Kafka Literary Studies
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