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ecaps's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
If you want to read a summary without any spoilers and want to know if you should read the book then YES, read the book
Gregor Samsa one morning finds himself turned into a vermin. His family at seeing this transformation are appalled. His father treats him like a pest. His mother cannot bear to look at her son because of what he has become. His sister is the only one who powers through and cleans up his room, puts out food for him and so on. Gregor does not want to burden his family but it does so happen that he becomes one for them. Before this, he was the breadwinner for the family and wanted to give his parents a comfortable life and the best education to his little sister. They were the only reason he was doing the office job he didn’t like.
My interpretation;
Even after he realises his transformation, Gregor is calm. That aspect really made it even more unnerving for me since being turned into a completely new species one fine morning without any reason would render anyone into a state of shock. There is a part in the beginning where his main priority was not to ask how did this happen but just to get out of bed and convince his family that he is not sick. This calmness in Gregor’s demeanour just seems unusual. But when I think about it the explanation that comes to mind is, in a situation where everyone else is panicking someone has to be calm to handle the situation. In this case, where everyone was panicking Gregor kept calm so that he could keep everyone from worrying.
A human turning into an insect is a way of the author metaphorically describing differently abled people, people who suffer from mental illnesses, people who feel unworthy, alienated from their peers and loved ones, anyone who feels they don’t fit in or are treated like a freak for being different.
Being someone who has experienced these things Kafka has tried to communicate the impact they have on their families and people close to them and how it affects themselves as well. How in their own mind they don’t want to burden their loved ones with their issues but they cannot communicate that and the people around them either pity them or see them and treat them differently. This makes them feel betrayed and they see their existence as unnecessary and even try to take their own lives.
This does not necessarily mean either one of the parties are at fault, it is just a situation that they have landed in because LIFE!. The way circumstances bring out a different side in people and how it affects human relationships is what the story tries to depict.
P.S.: I highly recommend reading the preface before starting the actual book. It gives quite an insight of the authors style of writing and helps you understand his thought process.
My interpretation;
Even after he realises his transformation, Gregor is calm. That aspect really made it even more unnerving for me since being turned into a completely new species one fine morning without any reason would render anyone into a state of shock. There is a part in the beginning where his main priority was not to ask how did this happen but just to get out of bed and convince his family that he is not sick. This calmness in Gregor’s demeanour just seems unusual. But when I think about it the explanation that comes to mind is, in a situation where everyone else is panicking someone has to be calm to handle the situation. In this case, where everyone was panicking Gregor kept calm so that he could keep everyone from worrying.
A human turning into an insect is a way of the author metaphorically describing differently abled people, people who suffer from mental illnesses, people who feel unworthy, alienated from their peers and loved ones, anyone who feels they don’t fit in or are treated like a freak for being different.
Being someone who has experienced these things Kafka has tried to communicate the impact they have on their families and people close to them and how it affects themselves as well. How in their own mind they don’t want to burden their loved ones with their issues but they cannot communicate that and the people around them either pity them or see them and treat them differently. This makes them feel betrayed and they see their existence as unnecessary and even try to take their own lives.
This does not necessarily mean either one of the parties are at fault, it is just a situation that they have landed in because LIFE!. The way circumstances bring out a different side in people and how it affects human relationships is what the story tries to depict.
P.S.: I highly recommend reading the preface before starting the actual book. It gives quite an insight of the authors style of writing and helps you understand his thought process.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, and Vomit
Minor: Animal death
kers_tin's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
emilia_thereader's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Violence, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Grief
Minor: Blood
thevampiremars's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A lot of these stories didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me, and I don’t know if that’s due to the writing style or poor translation. Maybe it’s just the summer humidity making my brain foggy. Interpreting Kafka’s writing feels like deciphering a riddle, and I mean that as both criticism and praise.
Contemplation (1913) – 4.5☆
A beautifully written series of vignettes romanticising the mundane. It’s more like a collection of poems than a sequence of chapters; there’s no narrative structure or throughline connecting each part. It serves as an enticing introduction to Kafka’s writing, like an instrumental opening track.
The Judgement: A Story for F (1913) – 3.5☆
This one felt incomplete, like a chapter from a longer story. I felt I was lacking context. I did a little research and it seems the German version contained some double meanings that got lost in translation, thereby obscuring the metaphor. Still, I didn’t dislike it, and I can appreciate what Kafka was going for.
The Stoker: A Fragment (1913) – 2.5☆
Ironically, this story actually was intended to be the first chapter in a novel, but it didn’t leave me wanting more like The Judgement did. If I had to sum up The Stoker in one word it would be “dull.” I just didn’t care.
Metamorphosis (1915) – 4.0☆
The main event, my reason for buying this book. I liked it and I can definitely see why it’s considered a classic, but I just can’t shake the feeling that I’m missing something.
It’s a thought-provoking tale, I’ll say that much! There’s a lot to chew on. It’s a fascinating blend of realism and fantasy with a surprising amount of depth.
In the Penal Colony (1919) – 2.5☆
Another dull story. The torture machine was convoluted and ridiculous so it didn’t have whatever horrifying and/or erotic effect Kafka was going for. I think he was trying to make a point about the criminal justice system, about how those in power are so perversely obsessed with punishment that it doesn’t matter to them whether or not their actions actually constitute any kind of “justice.” I’d honestly recommend watching the 1985 Doctor Who serial Vengeance on Varos instead of reading this – it plays with a lot of the same ideas, plus more.
A Country Doctor: Short Prose for My Father (1920) – 3.5☆
More poetic vignettes à la Contemplation, with higher highs and lower lows. It’s difficult to rate these collectively. My favourites were definitely Jackals and Arabs, an intriguing story commenting on colonialism and the self-appointed messianic role of Europeans, and A Report to an Academy, which was really poignant in its frank discussion of assimilation as a survival strategy. Some of the other stories were forgettable, impenetrable, sometimes feeling stubbornly pointless (though perhaps that pointlessness was the point, I don’t know). Overall, I think there’s more good than bad in this collection of short prose.
The Hunger-Artist: Four Stories (1924) – 3.5☆
Though listed as “Four Stories” I will review them together because they were grouped together. First Sorrow was simple but effective. My only real complaint is that maybe it’s a little too short; it would have been nice to see more of the trapeze artist’s craft before introducing the problem of travel and the rest of the narrative after that. A Little Woman reminded me of an ex. A Hunger-Artist was an evocative and sympathetic look at performers relying on attention almost literally as a means of sustenance. Josefine, the Singer, or The Mouse People struggled to hold my attention.
Aeroplanes in Brescia (1909) – 3.0☆
A quaint historical snapshot. The romantic descriptions of the little planes in flight makes me think of Porco Rosso even though that’s set a couple of decades later.
Great Noise (1912) – 3.0☆
It doesn’t have much to say and I don’t have much to say about it. It’s only half a page long, though, so it’s not like it overstays its welcome.
The Coal-Scuttle Rider (1921) – 3.5☆
A simple but effective tale of class conflict, of the haves leaving the have-nots to die preventable deaths if they cannot pay for what they need.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Death, Torture, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Blood, and Abandonment
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Violence, Islamophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Body horror, Incest, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Excrement, Vomit, Dementia, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Classism
I tagged abandonment but neglect would be more accurate, and although not explicitly presented as an eating disorder I did tag that for the description of intentional starvationscruffie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I found Crick's translation to be excellent, preserving much of the language ambiguity and other eccentricities that Kafka is known for. A pretty dark read overall, and very much to my liking. Quite slow-paced, especially if you also read the explanatory notes (which I recommend).
From the stories in this book "Meditation" didn't really work for me; I really liked all the others ("The Judgement", "The Metamorphosis", "In the Penal Colony", "Letter to his Father") though. I'm curious to read the remaining works of Kafka.
From the stories in this book "Meditation" didn't really work for me; I really liked all the others ("The Judgement", "The Metamorphosis", "In the Penal Colony", "Letter to his Father") though. I'm curious to read the remaining works of Kafka.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Violence