The Metamorphosis and Other Stories, by Franz Kafka, is part of the Barnes & Noble Classics series, which offers quality editions at affordable pri...
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May 23, 2011
Dave
rated it: 
I suspect interpreting Kafka says more about the reader than the author so here's some insight into my psyche:
Gregor's family are losers. Gregor takes over the "bread winner" position after his father's business fails and provides enough money for the family to live as well as help to pay down the large debt his father's business incurred. The rest of them are fine to let him and sit on their asses. Gregor's father is perfectly healthy, but is happy to mooch too. Then, More...
Gregor's family are losers. Gregor takes over the "bread winner" position after his father's business fails and provides enough money for the family to live as well as help to pay down the large debt his father's business incurred. The rest of them are fine to let him and sit on their asses. Gregor's father is perfectly healthy, but is happy to mooch too. Then, More...
May 23, 2011
Chris
rated it: 
Riddle me this…… why is it that Kafka is praised for having a continuous theme of ‘alienation and anxiety in a bizarre, hostile, and dehumanized world’ (taken right from the introduction by Kafka-aficionado Jason Baker) but Art Alexaksis of Everclear is constantly derided for never giving up the theme of his parent’s divorce and family instability in his suburban American life?
Really, who is more pigeonholed and obsessed with a single theme; a guy who puts a few 3-minute, 3-chord, More...
Really, who is more pigeonholed and obsessed with a single theme; a guy who puts a few 3-minute, 3-chord, More...
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May 23, 2011
Emir
rated it: 
*Thank you Doc Ranee for lending me this book!*
This copy is composed of two separate stories: Metamorphosis and The Judgement.
First, The Judgement. A tale of a man, who is set to marry, and asks his father, who appears to be senile, about telling his friend, from whom he have kept the news of his marriage and much of his life status, about the matrimonial news. There follows verbal exchanges from father and son, with the father dominating, and ending with the father pronounci More...
This copy is composed of two separate stories: Metamorphosis and The Judgement.
First, The Judgement. A tale of a man, who is set to marry, and asks his father, who appears to be senile, about telling his friend, from whom he have kept the news of his marriage and much of his life status, about the matrimonial news. There follows verbal exchanges from father and son, with the father dominating, and ending with the father pronounci More...
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May 23, 2011
Lamski Kikita
rated it:
Do not, under any circumstances, believe any of the introductions to Kafka books especially if they tell you that there is no point of trying to interpret, read into, or analyze Kafka's writing, and that it just is; read it for its poetic prose and for the beauty of the stories... BULLSHIT!!!
If you have any sense at all, you will read Kafka, and you will read into the stories, you will come up with hidden messages, and you will see the politics and sociology in it, and it will mess up with More...
If you have any sense at all, you will read Kafka, and you will read into the stories, you will come up with hidden messages, and you will see the politics and sociology in it, and it will mess up with More...
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May 23, 2011
Joseph
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Kafka is mindblowing. I wish I could have met him. In this collection is a story titled 'In the Penal Colony' - one of the most horrific tales I've ever read. I salute your spirit, Mr. Kafka!
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May 23, 2011
Mrs. Crane
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May 23, 2011
Virginia
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My mentor always referenced this story in the Intro course I TA'd in, using it as an example of the necessary confidence any fiction must exude. He'd say that first sentence, "When Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from troubled dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a monstrous insect."
As a reader, you don't take the time to question the validity of this observation. It's stated in such a way that you buy it, and you go on. Gregor Samsa is a monstrous insect. Fi More...
As a reader, you don't take the time to question the validity of this observation. It's stated in such a way that you buy it, and you go on. Gregor Samsa is a monstrous insect. Fi More...
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May 23, 2011
Don
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First off: I've wanted to read "Metamorphosis" (or "The Transformation", as it's called here) for years. Everyone knows the one-line premise - guy wakes up one morning to find he's now a grotesque thing - but where, I always wondered, does it go from there? What does he do next? So I was fascinated and tickled to see that his immediate response is to lie back in bed for a while and lazily fret about typical work woes.
The rest of the collection, sadly, is a bit More...
The rest of the collection, sadly, is a bit More...
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May 23, 2011
Candice
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This is the second time I've read The Metamorphosis, both times for class. The first was just over a year ago for German 101b, since the story was originally written in German and the second was today for English 204 (Long title: Literary Perspectives on the Modern World).
I've got to say that this read through was much more enlightening. In a nutshell, it's the story of a guy, Gregor, turning into a bug. Yeah, a bug. It's absurd and funny and incredibly tragic all at the same time. B More...
I've got to say that this read through was much more enlightening. In a nutshell, it's the story of a guy, Gregor, turning into a bug. Yeah, a bug. It's absurd and funny and incredibly tragic all at the same time. B More...
May 23, 2011
Cameron
rated it:
Striving to understand the frequent usage of "Kafkaesque" to describe a proliferation of things literary, I found a nice bargain copy of this translation of Kafka many moons past. I'm unsure if I accomplished my goal, being left wondering if I need to read The Trial to solidify that understanding, yet having no desire to engage anymore with his works. This collection of stories left me repulsed ("The Metamorphosis"), disgusted ("In the Penal Colony"), irritated ("
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May 23, 2011
Sophia
rated it:
His works are often ambiguous and vague in defining purpose or moral meaning. Instead, there's a cacophony of events, images, and multifaceted characters that you learn to love and hate, relate to, and at the same time feel compelled to distance yourself from.
He presents emotions, situations, and characters, which no matter how foreign in behavior, or state of mind, retain an unmistakable and comical resemblance to human nature. He takes what we all already “know” somewhere in o More...
He presents emotions, situations, and characters, which no matter how foreign in behavior, or state of mind, retain an unmistakable and comical resemblance to human nature. He takes what we all already “know” somewhere in o More...
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Aug 09, 2011
Kafka. I remember reading the metamorphosis in twelve grade english. My friend sitting in front of me remarked how when she finished the short story she was so depressed looking while sitting at the dinner table her mother thought it had something to do with the food. Indeed stories like the Stoker, the Metamorphosis, the fasting-artist, Country Doctor, etc. all seem to invoke the same depressing feeling the first time I read the metamorphosis. This is going on my third time and I still feel f
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Feb 06, 2012
Chris
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I’ve always loved this story. I first read parts of it in High School. I remember learning that there was something philosophically significant about it, but I liked the grotesque imagery enough to bypass any search for deeper meaning. Now that I’m reading more of the existentialists, this story found its way on my reading list, and I’m glad it did. It is short, but extremely pregnant with meaning.
I was surprised to learn about how autobiographical the plot was. Franz Kafka was a Cze More...
I was surprised to learn about how autobiographical the plot was. Franz Kafka was a Cze More...
Nov 15, 2011
Eli
rated it:
Franz Kafka's fiction is both realistic and surreal at the same time. While grounded in reality, there are subtle elements of the fantastic which build a tension that permeates his short stories. In the very first line of The Metamorphosis, the reader is presented with a situation that could never happen: "As Gregor Samsa awoke from unsettling dreams one morning, he found himself transformed in his bed into a monstrous vermin." But even still, our protagonist, Gregor Samsa, continue
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Oct 20, 2011
Gabriel
rated it:
Ok, I haven't read every story here. I plan on picking this up every so often and reading a story once in a while.
What I did read, though, and what I want to comment on is the classic "Metamorphosis" novella.
First off, this translation (in comparison to the bit that I read off of the Gutenberg website) is much more vibrant and humorous. I remember standing reading the first page and laughing at the situation and the character's reactions. This is truly a wond More...
What I did read, though, and what I want to comment on is the classic "Metamorphosis" novella.
First off, this translation (in comparison to the bit that I read off of the Gutenberg website) is much more vibrant and humorous. I remember standing reading the first page and laughing at the situation and the character's reactions. This is truly a wond More...
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May 23, 2011
Tim
rated it:
Superior! For me the best aspect of Kafka is the attitude of the stories. It's not "imagine one day that this happened..." it's "one day..this happened..." It makes the stories so much more bizarre! My favourite was The Metamorphosis. I think the story of Gregor Samsa is definitive for Kafka's style of writing. In the Penal Colony was horrific and very good as well. The only other story that stood out in the book was The Hunger Artist. The rest were really just filler, and no
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Feb 09, 2012
Velvetink
rated it:
Just got the Barnes & Noble 2003 edition for my daughter.Wonder why I cannot add that edition to my shelves as well. Annoying.
Ok well apart from Metamorphosis (which is brilliant), I'm not that impressed. Several of the stories are basically just a paragraph or two...mere observations...well done, but ho hum. The Stoker was interesting and leaves you hanging wanting more. I actually really preferred reading the Introduction by Michael Hofmann who translated this e
Ok well apart from Metamorphosis (which is brilliant), I'm not that impressed. Several of the stories are basically just a paragraph or two...mere observations...well done, but ho hum. The Stoker was interesting and leaves you hanging wanting more. I actually really preferred reading the Introduction by Michael Hofmann who translated this e
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Jun 20, 2011
Doreen
rated it:
I'd never read any Kafka before, but the concept that his writing lends his name to is impossible to avoid in modern culture. I did find the title story to be one of the best in the bunch (and I found the ending satisfying,) though I thought his breakthrough story, The Judgment, to be incredibly silly. The stories I enjoyed otherwise were In The Penal Colony, A Hunger Artist and Josephine. The very short pieces I found delightfully (if that word can be used to describe Kafka) atmospheric. Overal
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Jul 06, 2011
Jogle
rated it:
Including the most famous short stories “The Metamorphosis” and “In The Penal Colony”, anyone picking up this book up without previously reading Kafka or having an idea of his style will find them plain weird – that’s because they are Kafkaesque. The man had a unique style that is pervaded with gloom, death and the plight of the individual trapped within a generally unsympathetic world. I will not begin to interpret the meaning of the stories in detail as academics have spent generations trying
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May 23, 2011
Nojood
rated it:
I began with metamotphosis where a young man woke up one day to find him self changed to a cockroach. I can imagine myself changing into a crocadile at the end of this coming semester ;).
I read Arabs and Jackals. Who are the Jackals? Is he standing against his own people?
Well! I have had enough of Kafka. Under these clouds he made my life even more gloomy. I am not reading any more of his works.
I read Arabs and Jackals. Who are the Jackals? Is he standing against his own people?
Well! I have had enough of Kafka. Under these clouds he made my life even more gloomy. I am not reading any more of his works.
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Aug 03, 2011
Matthew
rated it:
It is hard to think of an author better than Kafka. His writing style is so unique and so bizarre that there will never be another writer quite like him.
Between the obvious "Metamorphosis" to the subtle terror of the "Penal Colony" to the creepy country doctor, Kafka masters eerie horror. However, there is another side of Kafka that cries out at the depression of society through the "Hunger Artist" and the long train rides.
This collection compiles all of Kafka's p More...
Between the obvious "Metamorphosis" to the subtle terror of the "Penal Colony" to the creepy country doctor, Kafka masters eerie horror. However, there is another side of Kafka that cries out at the depression of society through the "Hunger Artist" and the long train rides.
This collection compiles all of Kafka's p More...
May 23, 2011
Derek
rated it:
Was Kafka a semi-closeted genius or simply a sickly, reclusive fellow who told wonderful stories out of his misery? Does it matter? Either way, the constricted language (you can feel the nots tied around the words) and sideways outlook created a wholly new form of writing. No one else could have written these stories, not then, not now.
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Sep 19, 2011
Sarasaya
rated it:
L'assenza di meraviglia. Svegliarsi una mattina, guardarsi intorno e notare distrattamente la pioggia fuori dalla finestra e allo stesso tempo, in maniera ugualmente non curante, di essere diventato uno scarafaggio. Uno dei libri più belli del mio autore preferito in assuluto. Da leggere, a mio avviso, prima de "Il processo".
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Dec 13, 2011
Aimee
rated it:
Hmmm. I enjoyed this book at times, but at others found the sometimes page-long paragraphs to be a bit tedious. The best two stories here were 'The Metamorphosis' of course, and 'In the Penal Colony'.
I get the alienation factor in The Metamorphosis, but then what's to be expected when a family member is tranformed into a giant roach-like insect? Good story, but gave me the heebie jeebies.
In the Penal Colony: descriptive story of a unique torture/execution device but with a c More...
I get the alienation factor in The Metamorphosis, but then what's to be expected when a family member is tranformed into a giant roach-like insect? Good story, but gave me the heebie jeebies.
In the Penal Colony: descriptive story of a unique torture/execution device but with a c More...
Sep 19, 2011
Juan
rated it:
The first time I heard about Kafka was in high school, but it wasn't until very recently in College that I decided to actually take the time to read "The Metamorphosis," a novel (short story) of which I'd heard of dozens of times both in literature and philosphy class, but had never had reason enough to read. What impressed me the most was the exotically abrupt manner with which the story begins: "One morning, as Gregor Samsa was waking up from anxious dreams, he discovered that i
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Nov 04, 2011
Francis
rated it:
An insectuous tale
A dedicated employee is unappreciated by his employer and is poorly treated – like an insect.
He wakes up one morning to find he has changed into a giant insect. His family is shocked by the change. However, he and his family determine to make the situation as unpleasant for each other as possible.
However as time passes the family begins to treat him more like an insect while his soul becomes more human.
He dies; his sister then stretches h More...
A dedicated employee is unappreciated by his employer and is poorly treated – like an insect.
He wakes up one morning to find he has changed into a giant insect. His family is shocked by the change. However, he and his family determine to make the situation as unpleasant for each other as possible.
However as time passes the family begins to treat him more like an insect while his soul becomes more human.
He dies; his sister then stretches h More...
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May 23, 2011
Kathryn
rated it:
The Hunger Artist, A Country Doctor, and In the Penal Colony, I loved these. I loved The Metamorphosis too but I had already heard so much about this story that I was not surprised. I am so happy that I finally read these.
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Oct 30, 2011
Steps
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La curiosità verso una storia così particolare e inconsueta mi ha indotta a considerare ampiamente questa lettura. Non avevo reali aspettative, se non quella di rimanerne stupita ed invece ne sono rimasta non tanto delusa quanto dispiaciuta. Ho trovato la narrazione piatta, monocorde, priva d'enfasi, aspetti che non mi sarei immaginata in una storia che inizia con una situazione così incredibile. Svegliarsi la mattina con le sembianze di un insetto non è da tutti i giorni, eppure non ho colto ne
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Sep 19, 2011
Andrew
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I read The Metamorphosis a long time ago and that story festered like a plague in my memory. I mean that in the kindest way possible, as I had remembered it being harsh and cold. To my delight, Kafka was anything but. This isn't a complete collection, but showcases a warmth and humor tinged with more than a little bit of wistful sadness at the direction of life. I particularly enjoyed his views on religion in In The Penal Colony and The Diary. The body as temple, violence as release, sweet
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Jul 03, 2011
Durakan
rated it:
"When Gregor Samsa awoke from troubled dreams one morning, he found that he had been transformed in his bed into an enormous bug."
Forget Pride and Prejudice, this is surely the most epic opening line in a work of fiction! Kafka is one of those people that treads the fine line between genius and madness, but the juxtaposition of bizarre (often black) humour and poignant existential thematics make him a scholar's favourite, and with good reason.
To me, the most pow More...
Forget Pride and Prejudice, this is surely the most epic opening line in a work of fiction! Kafka is one of those people that treads the fine line between genius and madness, but the juxtaposition of bizarre (often black) humour and poignant existential thematics make him a scholar's favourite, and with good reason.
To me, the most pow More...
