The Metamorphosis

English language

Published June 11, 2006

ISBN:
978-1-60096-422-0
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4 stars (179 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.

35 editions

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

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!

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.

reviewed The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

Review of 'The Metamorphosis' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

A heartwarming story about a man who is turned into a giant bug and loses his family, realizing at last that they don't need him and he is free to go. Unfortunately, he doesn't find a giant bug girlfriend, nor does he eat anyone alive.

edit: More seriously, this is a difficult short story to understand if you don't read very, very carefully. I'm usually not one for hidden meaning in texts as I like bluntness, but there are all sorts of details that will go over the average reader's head, such as the meaning of the woman in fur being a reference to the guy who the word 'masochism' is coined after. You also have to keep in mind the transformation of society's view of animal life - Darwin was still a relatively 'new' and big deal in philosophical circles, and metamorphosis was one of the ways of referring …

Review of 'The Metamorphosis' on 'Storygraph'

5 stars

If your opinion is "a man transforms into a bug, that's ridiculous and not worth my time", you're in luck, because you can stop reading after the first sentence.

However, if you continue reading, you'll discover a moving story about the impact that an illness or accident has on the person (Gregor Samsa seems to be more concerned about not being able to provide for his family) and his surroundings (let's just say his family does not handle the situation in the best possible way).

The ending seemed a bit abrupt but nevertheless quite fitting. A highly recommended read!

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