The Metamorphosis in Never too Late to Read Classics

Jan 20, 2023 Delirious Disquisitions rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, literature-required-reading

I quite like this edition of Metamorphosis despite the very ugly cover. Apart from the main text, it also has notes on the translation, excerpts from some of Kafka's contemporary writers that might have inspired his work, some letters from Kafka (I especially adore the ones he wrote to his fiance), and some critical essays. This edition is very beginner friendly and does well enough to provide the reader with some context and starting research material, although I do wish footnotes were included I quite like this edition of Metamorphosis despite the very ugly cover. Apart from the main text, it also has notes on the translation, excerpts from some of Kafka's contemporary writers that might have inspired his work, some letters from Kafka (I especially adore the ones he wrote to his fiance), and some critical essays. This edition is very beginner friendly and does well enough to provide the reader with some context and starting research material, although I do wish footnotes were included for the actual text.

Reading Metamorphosis was an incredibly sad experience and one that I wasn't quite prepared for. It is the story of a man, Gregor Samsa, who wakes up one day to find that he’s turned into an insect of some sort. In the midst of his growing horror at the absurdity of the situation Gregor attempts to re-configure his life as he is transformed from the primary breadwinner to an invalid who is entirely dependent on his family for sustenance. As time goes on, Gregor becomes an object of disgrace to his family, an outsider in his own home, a quintessentially alienated man.

Metamorphosis is a harrowing—though absurdly comic—meditation on human feelings of inadequacy, guilt, and isolation. Gregor is the embodiment of Eldest Child and I might have projected a lot of myself onto him. He struggles to handle the financial burdens of his family, working as a salesman in an increasingly capitalistic society. In the midst of the horror and confusion of his physical transformation, Gregor is also driven by guilt and anxiety at his inability to work and be a “productive member of society” and the gradual alienation of his family as he quickly turns from an object of sympathy to a burden.

Despite the seemingly absurd and humorous nature of story, Metamorphosis is a rumination on much heavier themes such as alienation, the disconnect between mind and body, the stark reality of capitalism, alienation/ forced isolation from society, loss of identity, disability and the limits of sympathy, the yearning for freedom in escapism, etc. As we see the world through Gregor’s discombobulated perspective, we are witness to his spiraling anxiety, his fear and confusion at his inability to communicate with his family, his anguish at their growing resentment towards him and eventual cruel treatment leading to forced starvation, isolation, and neglect. The vague and sometimes contradictory descriptions of the house, where much of the action takes place, and the surroundings add to the sense of claustrophobia, anxiety, and unease.

It is quite incredible how much of what Kafka has written still resonates with readers today. Everything from his journal entries to his letter display a kind of vulnerability and doubt that are still very much relatable. I wasn’t quite in the right headspace reading this when I did, but if nothing else, it has convinced me to read more of Kafka's letters and diaries. I've actually grown quite fond of him.

5 stars for these wretched feelings.
------------------------------------------------
I just found this to be so incredibly sad. Gregor is the embodiment of the Oldest Child Syndrome and I might have projected a lot of myself onto him. 4 stars for these wretched feelings. P.s. I need to find time to read up on some of the critical essays on this. ...more

8 likes · Like · see review