The Trial

by Franz Kafka

"In the Penal Colony": Punishment without the Crime
Kafka's short story, "In the Penal Colony," is a perfect companion piece to The Trial that your students can read either before or after the novel. In this haunting tale, a condemned prisoner is subjected to torture as punishment for a crime that he's not sure he even committed. The nature of the punishment is painful, gruesome, and dark. Your students will be horrified and fascinated. Yay?

"Help, Ma! I've Turned Into A Bug!"
If your students can't get enough of the kraziness of Kafka, direct their attention to one of his most famous works: The Metamorphosis. Not only does this story have one of the most eye-catching opening lines in all of literature ("When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from unsettling dreams, he found himself changed into a monstrous vermin"), but it's another perfect example of Kafka's trademark use of fantasy elements as metaphors for universal themes and real human problems. (Bonus: your students will have fun debating whether The Metamorphosis or The Trial is the weirder tale. It may come down to a coin toss.)