The Judgment

work by Kafka

Also known as: “Das Urteil”, “The Sentence”

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June 29, 2026

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The Judgment is a short story by Franz Kafka, written in 1912 and published in 1913. It is considered an early work of experimental Modernism and showcases Kafka's unique narrative technique.12

The story centers on a son who unquestioningly commits suicide at the behest of his aged father. This narrative explores themes of authority, power, and the problematic nature of human subjectivity, common in Kafka's work. The story's striking technique, presenting reality from a limited third-person point of view, allows readers to identify with the protagonist while recognizing the flaws in his perception. The Judgment reveals the autobiographical background of father-son conflict present in much of Kafka's writing.21

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Franz Kafka
Works of Franz Kafka
Thus, in The Judgment a son unquestioningly commits suicide at the behest of his aged father. In The Metamorphosis the son, Gregor Samsa, wakes up to find himself transformed into a monstrous and repulsive insect; he slowly dies, not only because of his family’s shame and its…
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Thus, in The Judgment a son unquestioningly commits suicide at the behest of his aged father. In The Metamorphosis the son, Gregor Samsa, wakes up to find himself transformed into a monstrous and repulsive insect; he slowly dies, not only because of his family’s shame and its…
Read More

German literature
Franz Kafka
…two stories Das Urteil (1913; The Judgment) and Die Verwandlung (1915; The Metamorphosis), owe much to Expressionism and are often considered in the context of that movement. But his writing is better understood as an early phase of experimental Modernism. Kafka’s central concern, like that of other 20th-century Modernists, is…
Read More
…two stories Das Urteil (1913; The Judgment) and Die Verwandlung (1915; The Metamorphosis), owe much to Expressionism and are often considered in the context of that movement. But his writing is better understood as an early phase of experimental Modernism. Kafka’s central concern, like that of other 20th-century Modernists, is…
Read More