Structure

Introduction

Since Franz Kafka never intended his novel The Trial to be published, the text contains some inconsistencies. Max Brod created the present version of the text from the existing manuscript after Kafka's death. Therefore, the completed chapters are presented to the reader in the order determined by Max Brod. The unfinished chapters are in the appendix, although editions of works that integrate the fragments into the main body of the book are also available. 

It is worth mentioning that some critics assume that Kafka used Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment as the basic framework for his text. As proof of this, there would be innumerable textual correspondences. Based on these considerations, an edition of the text was published in 2005 in which all fragments are integrated into the main text. Regardless of whether these theories are true, the fragments may indeed fill in gaps in the main plot. 

The chapter sequence is also disputed sometimes. For example, the chapter "In the Cathedral" is not firmly integrated into the plot of the other chapters. Also, no characters need to be introduced beforehand for the understanding of this chapter, so the positioning is slightly uncertain. 

The case is somewhat different with "The Thrasher". This text section can only be placed after "The First Hearing," since the punishment of the guards can only take place after K.'s public ...