The Institute of Law at Nirma University hosted an Expert Lecture on Franz Kafka’s novel, The Trial, by Professor Pranav Dave, as part of the Semester II English Literature Course on 24 April 2025. In his stimulating address, Professor Dave reflected on Franz Kafka’s distinctive writing style, one that is typically linked with alienation, absurdity, and the surrealistic quality of the bureaucratic world. He also presented a short history of Franz Kafka and how his life impacted his writings. He defined The Trial as an effective allegory of contemporary life and the human struggle against a faceless and unresponsive system of justice. The main character, Josef K., was taken as a symbol of the powerless man caught in a faceless and capricious system of justice.
Professor Dave highlighted Kafka’s critique of dehumanizing institutions and how the novel derives from powerlessness and guilt anxieties. He also touched on the psychological effects of such a life, where the reason behind one’s persecution is never given, making the novel applicable to today’s debates about justice, human rights, and institutions’ moral obligations. Other than that, he elaborated on the parable known as “Before the Law”.
The session was for Semester II students who study the novel, The Trial, in their Literature Course. The session ended with an interesting Q&A session, where students asked many questions about the novel and its themes. Comparisons between Kafka’s work and contemporary legal and societal paradigms were also drawn. The lecture provided in-depth insights into Kafka’s world as well as facilitated critical thinking amongst the audience.