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The Metamorphosis

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'The Metamorphosis' by Franz Kafka is a dark and surreal novella that follows the story of Gregor Samsa, who wakes up one morning to find himself transformed into a giant insect. The narrative delves into how his family reacts to this bizarre event and explores themes of isolation, societal expectations, and the complexities of family dynamics. Kafka's writing style is described as absurd, realistic, and thought-provoking, with the ability to leave readers pondering over the deeper meanings and symbolism within the story.

Characters:

The characters are intricately developed, with Gregor reflecting a tragic figure marked by selflessness, while his family showcases both dependency and opportunism.

Writing/Prose:

Kafka's writing style is characterized by straightforwardness mixed with philosophical depth, employing a matter-of-fact tone to convey absurdity and emotional resonance.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot follows Gregor Samsa's shocking transformation into a monstrous insect and its impact on his life and family, tackling themes of alienation and identity.

Setting:

The confined domestic setting of the apartment enhances the themes of isolation and alienation, encapsulating Gregor's internal and external conflicts.

Pacing:

The pacing is contemplative, facilitating an in-depth exploration of themes and character development rather than fast-moving action.
WHEN GREGOR SAMSA WOKE ONE MORNING from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed right there in his bed into some sort of monstrous insect. He was lying on his back—which was hard, like a carapac...

Notes:

Franz Kafka is a celebrated author of the 20th century, known for his unique storytelling.
The Metamorphosis contains English translations of 42 stories and 1 novella.
Kafka's stories vary in length, with some being just a few lines while others include longer, allegorical narratives.
The Metamorphosis is one of Kafka's most famous works, focusing on themes of alienation.
Kafka's characters often understand their society but feel unable to connect with it.
The setting of The Metamorphosis reflects early 20th-century Prague during the decline of the Habsburg Empire.
Kafka wrote in German, which affects the reading experience in English due to grammatical differences, such as verb placement.
Gregor Samsa, the protagonist, turns into a monstrous insect and struggles with his new identity and alienation from his family.
Kafka explores the complex dynamics of Gregor’s family as they cope with his transformation, often leading to neglect and cruelty.
The apple incident in the story symbolizes emotional trauma and the impact of harsh words.
Kafka's work touches upon themes of mental illness and the struggles of understanding one's self in society.
The writing style of Kafka can be both a challenge and a rewarding experience, filled with depth and various interpretations.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Triggers include themes of mental illness, existential dread, alienation, and familial rejection.

From The Publisher:

Benedict Cumberbatch reads Franz Kafka's famous story of man-turned-insect, Metamorphosis

Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2018

After a night of troubled dreams, Gregor Samsa wakes to discover that he has turned into a huge, monstrous, cockroach-like creature, with an armour-plated back and multiple limbs.

Gradually, he comes to terms with his new state - but his parents and sister are horrified and increasingly revolted. To them, Gregor is unclean, verminous and entirely repellent, and as he becomes more and more of a burden, their horror turns to a terrible indifference...

First published in 1915, Kafka's surreal existential novella explores concepts such as the absurdity of life, alienation and the disconnect between mind and body. Read by Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock, Star Trek, The Imitation Game), this tale - often described as one of the greatest in the history of fiction - is chilling, captivating and darkly comic.

Duration: 1 hr 40 mins approx.

Ratings (225)

Incredible (42)
Loved It (74)
Liked It (64)
It Was OK (31)
Did Not Like (8)
Hated It (6)

Reader Stats (355):

Read It (241)
Currently Reading (2)
Want To Read (92)
Did Not Finish (2)
Not Interested (18)

8 comment(s)

Loved It
3 days

This piece would be horrible if it tried to stretch past it's 80 page length, but within that space it is a quite interesting work. The main problem I have with it is every teacher ever's inability to view it from the possible outlook as an actual piece of fantasy about a man turning into a bug instead of just an existential metaphor.

 
Loved It
1 week

Reread. Read the first time on January last year. It's weird, it's absurd it's bizarre and I love it. It's not only simply a short story about a man turning into a beetle, it's full of metaphors as well, a story to pull apart and focus on. To have a mind and body that doesn't cooperate with each other sounds like hell. It's a story I will read again and again and most likely get something new out of it

 
Liked It
3 months

Weird!

 
Loved It
4 months

I give

The Metamorphosis and Other Stories four stars thanks to "The Metamorphosis," "Unmasking a Confidence Trickster," "Unhappiness," "The Judgment," "Before the Law," "A Message from the Emperor," "A Dream," "A Report to an Academy" and "A Hunger Artist."

"In the Penal Colony" made me feel nauseated. I didn't understand or particularly care for the other stories.

I conclude that I have a newfound appreciation of Kafka's stories, but I can't explain entirely why lol.

 
Incredible
5 months

A strange tale which questions the identity of a person in family and society.

 
It Was OK
6 months

Good story, which I last read in 2015. This edition had supplementary essays and letters.

 
Loved It
8 months

One of my first reads. Gregor, hates his life but still tries to get up and go to work, in his new state.

 
It Was OK
9 months

It was heartbreaking and disturbing

 

About the Author:

Franz Kafka (1883-1924) was born into a Jewish family in Prague. In 1906 he received a doctorate in jurisprudence, and for many years he worked a tedious job as a civil service lawyer investigating claims at the State Worker's Accident Insurance Institute. He never married, and published only a few slim volumes of stories during his lifetime. Meditation, a collection of sketches, appeared in 1912; The Stoker: A Fragment in 1913; Metamorphosis in 1915; The Judgement in 1916; In the Penal Colony in 1919; and A Country Doctor in 1920. The great novels were not published until after his death from tuberculosis: America, The Trial and The Castle.

 
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