- Paperback: 256 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd; New edition edition (3 Feb 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0141182520
- ISBN-13: 978-0141182520
- Product Dimensions: 19.9 x 12.9 x 1.7 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 452,478 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Metamorphosis and Other Stories
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Product Description
Review
aI think of a Kafka story as a perfect work of literary art, as approachable as it is strange, and as strange as it is approachable.a
aMichael Hofmann --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
aMichael Hofmann --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
Product Description
Arranged chronologically, this volume brings together all the major short stories of Kafka which have been published posthumously. In addition to "Transformation" and "The Judgement", it contains the original first chapters of Kafka's novel "Amerika (The Stoker)".
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
102 of 111 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Metamorphosis is one of the most famous works in 20th C literature, and possibly has the most memorable opening lines in the history of story telling, - 'As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning after disturbing dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into an enormous insect'. The standard interpretation of this allegorical tale is that Gregor's transformation from hard working travelling salesman, providing for his family, to a grotesque useless insect that provokes disgust and pity and ultimately rejection by his family, represents physical disability, and society's treatment of it. I can see this in the story, but I read Kafka as essentially portraying his nightmare of the barrier between the public and personal inner world being removed. The private mental life, with its sensitive and raw secrets, its ugly and embarrasing little features, the desires and instincts that we strive to keep hidden, and/or are forced to repress. The bug is the embodiment of the ugly and raw inside turned out, exposed for all the world to see. Particularly nightmarish for Gregor (kafka) is the fact that those who see are those he loves and whose rejecton he fears most of all - his family.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This was a surprise for me. I had never read Kafka even though it was recommended to me a lot of times, so I didn't know what to expect. Now I'm looking forward to reading his other works. This book is a little gem of insight into human behaviour, presented in a metaphor of alienation, like a darker version of one of Aesop's Fables.
One man wakes up one day and discovers he has turned into an insect. At first he can't quite come to terms with his new condition, and tries to ignore it and live his life the way he always has. Inevitably, the circumstances force him to change the way he acts, and unsure of how to react towards himself and his condition, he turns to his family, to whom he dedicates his life, for a reaction.
And this is where it becomes interesting. Their reactions seem, at the surface, understandable, even justified, but later reveal themselves to be selfish, self-centered and extremely cruel and unfair. It's easy to create a parallel between Gregor Samsa and anyone who has found him or herself alienated from society - be it a homeless person, or an old person confined to the bed by an illness... All the little actions, like talking without bothering to see if the "alien" understands it or not, the ill-disguised disgust, the forgetting of everything that person might have done for others, the wallowing in self-pity because they have to put up with that person, are perceived in all their cruelty.
It was also interesting to see how it was Gregor's transformation that turned his family, previously completely dependent upon him and unable to think of themselves as capable of providing for their own survival, into pro-active beings full of plans for the future. An ironic, and utterly sad metamorphosis indeed.
This is how I experienced the book, but it's open to interpretation, of course (I love it when books do that). I'm pretty sure my understanding of this book will change when I learn more about Kafka. Suffice to say it's a great little book and definitely worth the read.
One man wakes up one day and discovers he has turned into an insect. At first he can't quite come to terms with his new condition, and tries to ignore it and live his life the way he always has. Inevitably, the circumstances force him to change the way he acts, and unsure of how to react towards himself and his condition, he turns to his family, to whom he dedicates his life, for a reaction.
And this is where it becomes interesting. Their reactions seem, at the surface, understandable, even justified, but later reveal themselves to be selfish, self-centered and extremely cruel and unfair. It's easy to create a parallel between Gregor Samsa and anyone who has found him or herself alienated from society - be it a homeless person, or an old person confined to the bed by an illness... All the little actions, like talking without bothering to see if the "alien" understands it or not, the ill-disguised disgust, the forgetting of everything that person might have done for others, the wallowing in self-pity because they have to put up with that person, are perceived in all their cruelty.
It was also interesting to see how it was Gregor's transformation that turned his family, previously completely dependent upon him and unable to think of themselves as capable of providing for their own survival, into pro-active beings full of plans for the future. An ironic, and utterly sad metamorphosis indeed.
This is how I experienced the book, but it's open to interpretation, of course (I love it when books do that). I'm pretty sure my understanding of this book will change when I learn more about Kafka. Suffice to say it's a great little book and definitely worth the read.
26 of 31 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book has been taking up space in my cupboard for a few months, since I had to read metamorphosis for my English degree. Yesterday I picked it up again, having graduated, and have only put it down since to write this.
Kafka is perhaps the most brilliant writer of the last century in perception and the way he can imaginatively express his ideas. 'Metamorphosis' is the most famous tale here, using the central metaphor of a man who awakes to find himself transformed into an insect, but the other stories have just as much to offer.
I was particularly surprised by the early 'Meditations' that appear here. The Editor notes that Kafka told his publisher to stop printing them, embarassed by what he saw as his early failings. This view is not born out by the shorts that appear here, each one taking a situation, observing the human behaviour taking place with humour but sympathy. Kafka makes the reader aware of the absurdity of his characters actions, but at the same time we are led to inherently understand the reasons for them. He never sacrifices a basic humanity.
'The Judgement' and 'The Stoker', the latter of which is the first chapter of the uncompleted novel 'Amerika', are strikingly effective stories. Any fans of Ishiguros 'The Unconsoled' should read these to see where that writers style comes from.
Kafka seems to be able to render the uncertainties, and lurking terror in the commonplace situations that take place in the modern world, in a light which every reader can share in. He expresses the inexpressible, instinctive doubts that anyone can feel at certain times. The unlikely situation of the one page parable, 'The Sudden Walk', is perhaps my favourite, as he depicts the sudden euphoria of taking action, in however small a respect. Again, we see the slight absurdity of the feelings this arouses, but see the subjective truth in them.
This collection has reinvested my faith in the sublime quality of literature that appears too rarely these days. I will definitely be reading the novels. A necessity for all literature fans.
Kafka is perhaps the most brilliant writer of the last century in perception and the way he can imaginatively express his ideas. 'Metamorphosis' is the most famous tale here, using the central metaphor of a man who awakes to find himself transformed into an insect, but the other stories have just as much to offer.
I was particularly surprised by the early 'Meditations' that appear here. The Editor notes that Kafka told his publisher to stop printing them, embarassed by what he saw as his early failings. This view is not born out by the shorts that appear here, each one taking a situation, observing the human behaviour taking place with humour but sympathy. Kafka makes the reader aware of the absurdity of his characters actions, but at the same time we are led to inherently understand the reasons for them. He never sacrifices a basic humanity.
'The Judgement' and 'The Stoker', the latter of which is the first chapter of the uncompleted novel 'Amerika', are strikingly effective stories. Any fans of Ishiguros 'The Unconsoled' should read these to see where that writers style comes from.
Kafka seems to be able to render the uncertainties, and lurking terror in the commonplace situations that take place in the modern world, in a light which every reader can share in. He expresses the inexpressible, instinctive doubts that anyone can feel at certain times. The unlikely situation of the one page parable, 'The Sudden Walk', is perhaps my favourite, as he depicts the sudden euphoria of taking action, in however small a respect. Again, we see the slight absurdity of the feelings this arouses, but see the subjective truth in them.
This collection has reinvested my faith in the sublime quality of literature that appears too rarely these days. I will definitely be reading the novels. A necessity for all literature fans.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
One of the best reads I've had
The opening short story, 'The Judgement', wasn't something of my taste. What made me get this book was 'The Metamorphosis' but I read all the other stories as well. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Krognol
Good Introduction
If you like me havn't read Kafka before this is a nice introduction with a medium length story in Metamorphosis but also some small ones to whet the appetite. Read more
Published 2 months ago by SeansterB
A thought provoking little book
"Gregor Samsa awoke in his bed one morning from uneasy dreams to find himself transformed into a gigantic insect" (or `monstrous vermin' depending on which translation you... Read more
Published 6 months ago by J. Willis
Stop bugging me
Forget the fancy theories and waffle, M is a brilliant story about what it's like for a man to turn into a beetle, just as Waiting For Godot is a play about two men waiting for... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Mike Collins
his definitive work of genius
It is rare to read a story that marks an age, but this is certainly one of them. It is a defining work of modernism, that freakish period of creativity that ended before... Read more
Published 8 months ago by rob crawford
kafka, the metamorphosis
a man wakes up, finds he's changed into a bug and his first concern is how will he get to work on time. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Mr. Moshe Elias
You get 'it' the second time you read it!
Not an easy read if you like to understand what he is saying, but when you get 'it' its great!
Published 11 months ago by BigMan
Desperation and hopelessness
Start reading and you will probably find a lot of about yourself, your thoughts and fears hided deeply inside. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Olga
Odd, uncomfortable stories which should be read
There are 5 short stories in this book, one being the famous Metamorphosis.
Each of the stories covers a limited theme, as all short stories should, enabling the experience to... Read more
Each of the stories covers a limited theme, as all short stories should, enabling the experience to... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Janie U
The collections of a Genius
I bought this book primarily to read the Metamorphosis, which it has to be said is one of the greatest stories ever written - it was my first experience of Kafka and it certainly... Read more
Published 15 months ago by mwhp20
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