Existentialism in "The Metamorphosis"

[Momina]

Existential thought varies from one philosopher to another despite some basic similarities that tie big guys like Heidegger, Hegel, Sartre, Kierkegaard etc together. Whose thought do you find Kafka's work most closer to?

[Edson]

I believe Kafka's literary work was more closely related to the thought of Kierkegaard, due to the religious writing style background that ties them. In Kafka's writing the influence of religion was implicit and in Kierkegaard religion was openly an issue. Kafka's implicit jewish writing style helped him find a refuge from his father figure and for himself, which we can realize in works such as The Metamorphosis (1912) and Das Urteil (1912), among other Kafka's works prior to the First World War (1914-1918). Kafka, at the beginning of his career, was an ardent reader of Kierkegaard and such habit clearly influenced Kafka's thought from 1906 to 1914, when Kafka's writing changed from the Goethe romanticism to a more Freudian approach of the human being description in the context of the German artistic and literary expressionism. So, in my opinion, Kafka was a Kierkegaardian with some Goethian and Freudian influence which (all three) combined in the development of his phenomenal, unique and implicit jewish literature.

[Phillip]

It seems to me that Kafka cannot be limited to any "XXXism", nor to his "Jewish" ancestry - his was and is an universal appeal (or cry) and there are also strong ties to Platonism (he read Plato in Greek!) - but one has to have a good grasp of Western intellectual history as well as various mystical traditions to properly appreciate the depths of Kafka - particularly Josef K.'s meeting with the "Priest" (note - German literally says "Spiritualist" {Geistlicher}) or K's meeting with Buergel in the Castle.... Both of these KEY chapters can be found in my translation: Essential Kafka. Finally, Josephine must be embraced although very few want to understand her Song...