Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Book 67: Book Stats and The Metamorphosis.

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.

7 comments:

  1. 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.

    My reviews:
    http://eclectic-indulgence.blogspot.com/2007/12/metamorphosis-franz-kafka.html
    http://eclectic-indulgence.blogspot.com/2009/02/trial-franz-kafka.html

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  2. 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.

    I 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. :)

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  3. 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.

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  4. I 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'?

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  5. I 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

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  6. I 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.

    I 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.

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  7. 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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