Historical background

Franz Kafka, the author of the novel The Trial, had his work profoundly influenced by his hometown of Prague and his Jewish origins. Prague developed since the Middle Ages into one of the most important cities in Europe. The city on the Vltava River is characterized by the splendor of its past, having been the residential city of the Bohemian kings and the Habsburgs. At the same time, Prague was also a city of contrasts and was characterized by two opposing aspects . 

On the one hand, the secular and religious worlds collided directly, especially architecturally.The working class had their quarters down by the Vlatva River. On the other bank of the Vltava, directly opposite, one could find the Hradcany, Prague Castle, and St. Vitus Cathedral. Therefore, two spheres of power faced each other, and the crowd of workers mingled anonymously among them. Kafka perceived this special relationship and wrote about it in novels such as The Trial and The Castle

On the other hand, the city was ethnically and religiously divided. It illustrated on a small scale how the conditions in the multi-ethnic empire of Austr...

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