Title: The Metamorphosis Author: Franz Kafka (1883-1924)
First Published: 1915
My Edition: Bantam Classic (seen at left)
Pages: The novella is 55 pages, but supplemental material brings the book up to 194 pages
Other Works Include: The Trial (1925), The Castle (1926), Amerika (1927), and many essays, etc.
I am slightly intimidated by anything that has its own label (I am speaking of the term "Kafkaesque"). That's intimidating and tells me that I might not get all out of the writing that I should (says some scholars).
But this story has always intrigued me and the little I know sounds like a cheesy 80's horror flick. A man wakes up to find himself transformed into a bug of all things. How can this be literary genius?
I suppose that is what I will find out. I should point out that at some point in the future I am also reading The Trial, which I hope is not about insects.
I was definitely not a fan of the Metamorphosis, but I really enjoyed 'The Trial'. Both books, however, are permanently imprinted in my mind... so there is that. I wouldn't worry that much about the style, though, keep in mind that the trial seems to go on and on... something that Kafka probably intended.
ReplyDeleteMy reviews:
http://eclectic-indulgence.blogspot.com/2007/12/metamorphosis-franz-kafka.html
http://eclectic-indulgence.blogspot.com/2009/02/trial-franz-kafka.html
I adored this novella! We read it in school and learned so much about the underlying symbolism. It turned Kafka into one of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteI read The Trial in 2009 and had a lot of problems understanding it. It's unfinished and there are definitely parts that needed heavy editing. Surprisingly, it was when I read the GN version that the story really came together and I understood layer upon layer again. I did a triple comparison review - book, GN, and movie. :)
I read it in a humanities class in college. I remember enjoying it but thinking it was a little odd. I'll have to read it again. I didn't realize it was that short. When I was thinking about it the other day, I assumed I had just read an excerpt for my class, but I guess it was the whole thing.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read 'Metamorphosis', but loved 'The Trial', so perhaps I should give this one a try. Is it in any way linked to Ovid's 'Metamorphosis'?
ReplyDeleteI read it last year and loved it - it is not difficult to read at all - but the more you think about the more meaning you find. Its fabulous
ReplyDeleteI read this one in high school and remember being slightly creeped out by it. Not so much because I don't like bugs but because I found it to be rather sad, I think.
ReplyDeleteI actually just acquired (and by that I mean dug up from the bottom of my dad's closet) a collection of Kafka stories. I haven't worked up the gumption to start it though.
It is a great story. So creepy and sad and just plain wonderful. I think it lends itself to how the term kafkaesque came about, which makes me enjoy it all the more. :) Have fun reading!
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