The Castle by Franz Kafka
This novel presents the story of a man who arrives in a village and struggles to gain access to the mysterious authorities who govern it from a castle. The protagonist, a surveyor, faces the constant frustration of his efforts to make contact with the elusive authorities and integrate into village society. The book explores themes of alienation, bureaucracy, the seemingly endless frustrations of man's attempts to stand against the system, and the futile pursuit of an unobtainable goal.
The 127th greatest book of all time
Ranking Details:
Our ranking system awards points to books based on their appearance and position on curated lists. Here's how it works:
Unranked Lists: For lists without specific rankings, each book receives points equivalent to the list's weight. This approach recognizes the book's inclusion on prestigious lists.
Ranked Lists: Books on ranked lists receive points in two ways:
- Base Points: Initially, every book is awarded points equal to the list's weight, acknowledging its significance.
- Bonus Points: Additionally, books earn bonus points based on their ranking. The total bonus pool, equal to 100% of the list's weight, is distributed among the books, with higher-ranked books receiving more points.
Exponential Distribution: The distribution of bonus points follows an exponential model. This means the top-ranked book (#1) receives significantly more bonus points than those further down the list (e.g., #100). Our algorithm ensures that higher placements are rewarded more generously, reflecting the achievement of a top rank on any given list.
This scoring system ensures that each book's ranking reflects both its presence on multiple lists and its positions within those lists, providing a comprehensive measure of its acclaim and popularity.
Total Points: 1935
Since this book was first published in 1926, there is a penalty of 0%. The age adjusted score is 1935.0.
This is to prevent newer books from reaching super high on the ranked list of the greatest books of all time. The greatest books should also stand the test of time.
- score: 151 -- Biblioteca (Weight: 138)
- score: 150 -- Top 100 Works in World Literature (Weight: 150)
- score: 150 -- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (Weight: 150)
- score: 142 -- El Pais Favorite Books of 100 Spanish Authors (Weight: 138)
- score: 120 -- Best German Novels of the Twentieth Century (Weight: 120)
- score: 120 -- Books of the Century (Weight: 120)
- score: 119 -- The 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century (Weight: 114)
- score: 115 -- 100 Books of Classical and Modern Foreign Literature (Weight: 114)
- score: 108 -- ZEIT-Bibliothek der 100 Bücher (Weight: 108)
- score: 102 -- Finest Works of Fiction (Weight: 102)
- score: 99 -- The New Lifetime Reading Plan (Weight: 99)
- score: 96 -- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read (Weight: 96)
- score: 90 -- Our Users' Favorite Books of All Time (Weight: 90)
- score: 82 -- In Which These Are the 100 Greatest Novels (Weight: 81)
- score: 81 -- Masterpieces of World Literature (Weight: 81)
- score: 78 -- The 500 best books of all time from Culture Café users (Weight: 78)
- score: 66 -- The Complete 500: OCLC (Weight: 66)
- score: 63 -- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon (Weight: 63)