Maxzor reviewed La Métamorphose by Franz Kafka
Cruel
5 stars
but well-crafted
201 pages
English language
Published June 11, 1972 by Bantam Books.
The Metamorphosis
by Franz Kafka
4 stars
(249 reviews)
The Metamorphosis (German: Die Verwandlung) is a novella written by Franz Kafka which was first published in 1915. One of Kafka's best-known works, The Metamorphosis tells the story of salesman Gregor Samsa, who wakes one morning to find himself inexplicably transformed into a huge insect (German ungeheures Ungeziefer, literally "monstrous vermin") and subsequently struggles to adjust to this new condition. The novella has been widely discussed among literary critics, with differing interpretations being offered.
Engalion reviewed Die Verwandlung by Franz Kafka
Loved it
5 stars
Highly recommend to someone who is struggling to find some purpose in life, for some reason it helped me in that regard
The Weaver Reads reviewed The Complete Stories by Franz Kafka (Schocken Kafka Library)
Goodreads Review of the Complete Stories
4 stars
First and foremost, Kafka is hard. Kafka’s style is really tough, and finding any kind of meaning in them can be tough. That may very well be the point. Nearly all of his writing feels distant and almost analytical, like a lawyer’s brief. This is odd, given that all of his stories are written in the first person. However, doing so allows him to pull out the surreality of everyday life. Undoubtedly, his writings are a literary forerunner to German expressionism.
Secondly, Kafka is FUNNY. But, the writing doesn’t always appear to be in the moment. It’s only upon stepping back can we find humor in Gregor Samsa’s first preoccupation after waking up as a giant beetle: “I’m late for work!” The reason his stories are funny are because we can see ourselves in all of them. In “Preparations for a Wedding in the Country,” the narrator hallucinates the possibility …
First and foremost, Kafka is hard. Kafka’s style is really tough, and finding any kind of meaning in them can be tough. That may very well be the point. Nearly all of his writing feels distant and almost analytical, like a lawyer’s brief. This is odd, given that all of his stories are written in the first person. However, doing so allows him to pull out the surreality of everyday life. Undoubtedly, his writings are a literary forerunner to German expressionism.
Secondly, Kafka is FUNNY. But, the writing doesn’t always appear to be in the moment. It’s only upon stepping back can we find humor in Gregor Samsa’s first preoccupation after waking up as a giant beetle: “I’m late for work!” The reason his stories are funny are because we can see ourselves in all of them. In “Preparations for a Wedding in the Country,” the narrator hallucinates the possibility of his friend murdering him on the streets of Prague. Which of us have not also had this thought that a friend we walked with late at night? His “as if” statements add to the hilarity. In the same story, he describes (and i paraphrase here) a man “moving his arms up and down, as if lifting a heavy load.” In “the Metamorphoses,” he describes a man “backing away, as if being repelled by pressure from an invisible force.” These statements add to the mental imagery, and the absurdity of it all.
In “In the Penal Colony,” we learn that the sentenced man does not know the sentence he has been given, nor that he has been sentenced at all. I can’t help but laugh. This is so real. Moreover, he only committed the most minor offense, but he is being given the gravest of all possible punishments. Doesn’t life feel a lot like this? We slip up and are slammed directly across the face with the weight of a kiloton of bricks. He also have to find the need to defend ourselves and account for every action. In his shorter story, “On the Tram,” he writes in legalistic language that he cannot justify why he is on the platform. But, this too I can relate to. Who of us can justify our own existence? But we always feel like we have to, and it’s never enough.
Kafka seems to be permanently on trial by the society around him, which i suppose is why he wrote his first novel, The Trial. Yet, the reason why it became so popular is because it resounds with all of us.
Kafka seems to very much be a tortured guy, and he’s a lot like all of us moderns. Perhaps he is THE writer who understands the 20th (and early 21st) century condition. And for that alone he is worth reading.
This is a book to come back to later. The first reading will never be enough.
Irina reviewed The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Review of 'The Metamorphosis' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
I love how kafka explores the modern ways of living and the weight of those in the individuals experience of life. I was expecting Kafka to dive more deep into that. The premise was good, but it was a bit superficial
kieranimo reviewed The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Ruined by weird sexism at the end
3 stars
Content warning Brief mention of a couple of plot points
I was enjoying this, in parts. Gregor's insect thoughts are funny, but there's a blatant difference between how the mother and sister are talked about compared to the father which was always a bit off-putting.
Then, in the last few sentences, a sudden fixation on the sister's "young body" ruins it. Gross, weird, and unnecessary.
Court reviewed The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Enjoyable, interesting, curious
4 stars
I'm not sure what to make of this other than perhaps the futility of life. Will need to let it marinade.
acidman reviewed The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Review of 'The Metamorphosis' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
7/10
aperalesf reviewed La metamorfosis by Franz Kafka
Espectacular
5 stars
Un análisis social muy incisivo en pocas páginas. Imprescindible.
VaishaliP reviewed The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Review of 'The Metamorphosis' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
It is a classic.
It left me feeling sad and bewildered about how society gives so much importance to work, development and status that you loose yourself. World moves on and you are easily replaceable.
Dee reviewed The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Review of 'The Metamorphosis' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Finally came round to giving this a read, lived up to its expectations as this is one of those books you get recommended a dozen times by a dozen different people.
As a Miller fan I greatly appreciated the parallels between Gregor Samsa and Willy Loman... 5/5 would recommend!
paven reviewed The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Review of 'The Metamorphosis' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
Great classic
Ian Channing reviewed The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Review of 'The Metamorphosis' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Such stark visuals that can only exist in words and in your head as you read it, no film will ever do this book justice
Benjamin Hollon reviewed The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Review of 'The Metamorphosis' on 'Goodreads'
1 star
This book really made no sense. A man turns into a bug for no apparent reason. The rest of the book is about how he lives shut in his room and the rest of the family hates him. Finally, he dies.. That's it. There did not seem to be any deeper meaning.
essteeyou reviewed The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Review of 'The Metamorphosis' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
That was short, but also repetitive. It was entertaining, but a bit depressing.
It seems like there are numerous ways of handling the situation better than the characters did, but none of them tried anything. There wasn't much explanation about why Gregor's condition kept worsening, or why an apple couldn't just be removed from his shell or whatever.
Really strange.
Martijn Reintjes reviewed The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Review of 'The Metamorphosis' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
Short funny book.
It was a bit bizar, especially as I didn't knew the setting of the book.
I expected it to be placed in India, but later on I realised it was in the Germany of the 1930's
