- 01Title and translation credits
The Trial
by Franz Kafka · 1925 · 11 chapters · 24/7 tutor
In this course, you will discover the unsettling world of Josef K. and master the themes of guilt, authority, and uncertainty at the heart of Kafka’s classic novel. Learn how to read the story as a powerful critique of bureaucracy, social control, and the search for justice. You’ll gain a deeper understanding of Kafka’s style and the psychological tension that drives the narrative.
11Chapters
55Lessons
138Topics
Certificate of completion included
This course was produced by Cavua from a public-domain text.
Skills this course leaves you with.
- Analyze the major themes of guilt, authority, and uncertainty in The Trial
- Explain how Kafka uses bureaucracy and social control to build narrative tension
- Identify the roles of key characters and their significance in Josef K.'s ordeal
- Interpret major scenes such as the arrest, hearings, courtroom visits, and cathedral chapter
- Discuss Kafka’s style and how it shapes the novel’s psychological atmosphere
Curriculum
The full table of contents.
Every chapter, every lesson, every topic — laid out before you enroll. Click any chapter to expand it.
- Chapters
- 11
- Lessons
- 55
- Topics
- 138
- 01Josef K.'s unexpected arrest
- 02The officers' explanation and search
- 01K.'s confrontation with the policemen
- 01K.'s dressing and the summons to the supervisor
- 02Interrogation in Miss Bürstner's room
- 03K.'s challenge to the arrest and the supervisor's reply
- 01Bank officials escort K. to work
- 02K.'s evening routine and return home
- 01Mrs. Grubach’s explanation of the arrest
- 02Miss Bürstner’s late return and K.’s apology
- 03K.’s nighttime conversation with Miss Bürstner
- 04Apology for the disturbed room
- 05Miss Bürstner and K.'s arrest
- 06Reenactment of the arrest
- 07The captain in the adjoining room
- 01Miss Bürstner rejects K.'s explanation
- 02K.'s kiss and departure
- 01Notice of the Sunday hearing
- 02Journey to Juliusstrasse and the courthouse building
- 01Searching the tenement for the hearing room
- 02The crowded hearing hall and late arrival
- 01K. steps onto the podium and the judge consults his notebook
- 02K.'s challenge to the examining judge and the charge book
- 01K.'s defense of a public wrong
- 01K.'s denunciation of the court's secret signals
- 02The court as an enormous corrupt organization
- 01The washerwoman's disturbance and K.'s discovery of the badges
- 02K.'s denunciation of the assembly and departure
- 01Empty courtroom and the court usher's wife
- 01The examining judge's reports and the student's gift
- 02K.'s confrontation with the student and the woman
- 03The student's removal of the woman and K.'s setback
- 01Entrance to the Court Offices in the attic
- 02The usher’s complaint about the student and his wife
- 03K. follows the usher to the offices
- 01The attic waiting room and the accused
- 02K.'s attempt to leave the court offices
- 03K.'s dizziness and the sick room offer
- 01The information-giver's role and appearance
- 01Support from the court officials
- 02Finding the way out
- 01K.'s failed attempts to reach Miss Bürstner
- 02Mrs. Grubach's explanation of Miss Montag's move
- 03Miss Montag's mediation on behalf of Miss Bürstner
- 04Miss Montag's explanation to K.
- 05Captain Lanz's arrival and K.'s reaction
- 06K.'s attempt to find Miss Bürstner
- 01K. discovers the junk room punishment
- 02Franz's beating and K.'s failed intervention
- 03Aftermath and the unchanged junk room
- 01Uncle Karl’s arrival and Erna’s letter
- 02K. admits the criminal trial
- 03Decision to leave the city
- 04Consulting Dr. Huld
- 01Arrival at Dr. Huld's apartment
- 02Dr. Huld's illness and Leni's care
- 03Discussion of K.'s case and court connections
- 04The unnoticed visitor in the corner
- 01The office director's visit and conversation
- 02The carer lures K. into the hallway
- 01Leni in the lawyer's office
- 02The judge's portrait and K.'s trial
- 01Leni urges confession to the court
- 02K.'s lover Elsa and Leni's scrutiny
- 03Leni's webbed fingers and kiss
- 01Leni's embrace and farewell
- 02The uncle's reproach
- 01K.'s doubts about the lawyer
- 01The court's secrecy and the lawyer's role
- 01Defense counsel and court contacts
- 01Court officials, lawyers, and the secrecy of proceedings
- 02Why defendants should not try to improve the court
- 01Preliminary proceedings and the office director
- 02The lawyer's tireless explanations and Leni's tea visits
- 01K.'s suspicion of the lawyer's motives
- 02K.'s resolve to take charge of his defence
- 03Treating the trial as business and denying guilt
- 01Preparing and submitting the documents
- 01Manufacturer's business proposal and deputy director's intervention
- 02K.'s solitary reflection on his defense and bank duties
- 03Manufacturer's report on the deputy director
- 01Manufacturer's warning about Titorelli
- 02K.'s reaction and departure from the bank
- 01K. dismisses the waiting gentlemen
- 02Deputy director takes over the negotiations
- 03K.'s resentment at the deputy director
- 01Journey to Titorelli's attic studio
- 02Titorelli's studio and the portrait of justice
- 03Titorelli's court portrait and the judge's image
- 04The painter's unofficial role as court trustee
- 05Innocence, court influence, and inherited access
- 01Three forms of acquittal
- 02Law versus courtroom experience
- 01Legends of absolute acquittal
- 02Studio heat and hidden door
- 01Apparent acquittal and temporary freedom
- 01Apparent acquittal and renewed arrest
- 02Deferment as keeping proceedings in the earliest stages
- 03Practical burdens and limits of deferment
- 01The painter's moorland landscapes
- 02The hidden court offices in the attic
- 03Leaving the studio with the court servant
- 01K.'s decision to dismiss the lawyer
- 02Block's arrival and identification
- 03Leni in the kitchen and the jealousy scene
- 04Leni's explanation and K.'s final resolve
- 05The lawyer’s long representation and multiple clients
- 06Court work, waiting rooms, and superstition
- 07The businessman’s dissatisfaction with legal progress
- 01Complaints about the delayed trial
- 02Petty lawyers and minor lawyers
- 03The great lawyers
- 01Block's dependence on the petty lawyers
- 02K.'s confrontation with the lawyer
- 01Leni’s attraction to the accused
- 02K. withdraws the lawyer’s representation
- 03The lawyer’s defense of his methods
- 01Block's arrival and the lawyer's summons
- 02Block's humiliation and plea before the lawyer
- 03Block's complaint against K. and Leni's intervention
- 01Leni's report on Block's conduct
- 02The lawyer's defense of Block and the judge's criticism
- 01K.'s anxiety about leaving the office
- 02Meeting the Italian business contact
- 03Waiting for the Italian at the cathedral
- 04The altar painting and the knight in armour
- 05The pulpit, the church official, and the secondary pulpit
- 01The priest in the pulpit
- 02Josef K. summoned before the prison chaplain
- 01K.'s distrust of courtly help
- 02The parable of the doorkeeper
- 01Doorkeeper’s character and the man’s access to the law
- 02Competing interpretations of the doorkeeper’s deception
- 01The prison chaplain and the court
- 01K.'s arrest and departure
- 02Journey through the city to the quarry
- 03Execution in the quarry
01How many chapters are in the Trial course?
The Trial course has 11 chapters, each with its own lessons and topics.
02How many lessons are in the Trial course?
There are 55 lessons across the course, and you can ask your 24/7 tutor about any of them.
03Can I see what the Trial course covers before I start?
Yes. The full curriculum is listed on this page, beginning with "THE TRIAL".
04Do I get a certificate for the Trial course?
Yes. Finishing the course earns a personal Cavua certificate of completion.
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