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gabriela_justynska's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
blushingbookkeeper's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.5
emxcix's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
danipunzel's review against another edition
0.5
i would recommend this to people with severe insomnia. this book will help for sure.
seanius's review against another edition
3.0
Dogs as secretly self-aware underclass, with their own world view and a kind of dog-eat-dog self-preserving approach to life that helps to cope with the difficulties of "a dogs life".
Every dog has his day, and Kafka certainly had his. The story is good yet seems a little out of focus. Somewhat similar to Kurt Vonnegut's "Tom Edison Shaggy Dog" - did Kurt read Kafka's story? It seems possible, as Kurt's shaggy dog story seems almost an improved work...
There is also "My Talks With Dean Spanley" by Plunkett which also has a somewhat philosophical take on life-as-a-dog, although from a resurrectional point of view...
Not perfect, but not a bad read for anyone who is of the canine persuasion...
Every dog has his day, and Kafka certainly had his. The story is good yet seems a little out of focus. Somewhat similar to Kurt Vonnegut's "Tom Edison Shaggy Dog" - did Kurt read Kafka's story? It seems possible, as Kurt's shaggy dog story seems almost an improved work...
There is also "My Talks With Dean Spanley" by Plunkett which also has a somewhat philosophical take on life-as-a-dog, although from a resurrectional point of view...
Not perfect, but not a bad read for anyone who is of the canine persuasion...
liesthemoontells's review against another edition
1.0
At the start of 2022, I set myself the challenge of reading through the Penguin Modern Classics box set at the rate of one per week, with no skipping or quitting any volume. This book is the reason why I am writing this review in December and not April - it's only 56 pages, but it is such a slog it took me eight months to pick it back up and finish the second half.
There is no doubt that Kafka was one of the great literary minds of the last century. When considering the brilliance of works like Metamorphosis and The Trial, it can be easy to gloss over the ethics of his friend Max Brod's decision to publish all of Kafka's manuscripts after his death, after having been instructed by Kafka to burn them. This book is a case study to why there is a valid ethical concern around publishing work posthumously without the author's consent, even when that author is a genius.
While there may have been some merit to the core idea of imagining the mind of a dog as philosopher, Kafka's tedious and jumbled stream-of-consciousness prose is laborious to the point of becoming meaningless. To me, this reads very clearly as an author's terrible first draft that required several rewrites before being given over to public readership. Why Penguin chose to include this story as their introduction to Kafka in the Penguin Modern collection, forgoing so many of his other compelling and incisive works, is baffling to me.
I would wholeheartedly recommend that anyone looking for a short introduction to the work of Kafka start with Metamorphosis instead. If reading this review has made you interested in learning more about the ongoing ethical quandary behind the publication of Kafka's work, I would suggest reading Kafka's Last Trial: The Strange Case of a Literary Legacy by Benjamin Balint (2018).
There is no doubt that Kafka was one of the great literary minds of the last century. When considering the brilliance of works like Metamorphosis and The Trial, it can be easy to gloss over the ethics of his friend Max Brod's decision to publish all of Kafka's manuscripts after his death, after having been instructed by Kafka to burn them. This book is a case study to why there is a valid ethical concern around publishing work posthumously without the author's consent, even when that author is a genius.
While there may have been some merit to the core idea of imagining the mind of a dog as philosopher, Kafka's tedious and jumbled stream-of-consciousness prose is laborious to the point of becoming meaningless. To me, this reads very clearly as an author's terrible first draft that required several rewrites before being given over to public readership. Why Penguin chose to include this story as their introduction to Kafka in the Penguin Modern collection, forgoing so many of his other compelling and incisive works, is baffling to me.
I would wholeheartedly recommend that anyone looking for a short introduction to the work of Kafka start with Metamorphosis instead. If reading this review has made you interested in learning more about the ongoing ethical quandary behind the publication of Kafka's work, I would suggest reading Kafka's Last Trial: The Strange Case of a Literary Legacy by Benjamin Balint (2018).
milasa's review against another edition
3.0
There is so much we don't know. I'm not sure what is scarier - not knowing what we don't know, or being wrong about 'established' truths.
hayleysreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Didn’t really understand it that much at first but felt interesting and philosophical, darkly funny at points and confusing but enjoyed. After reading some of the articles linked below and learning more about Kafka’s life and writing style I found a new appreciation for this short story.
This article references it and is interesting, looking at Kafka’s writing style and anxiety fuelled work: https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/midnight-madness-franz-kafkas-investigations-of-a-dog-and-other-creatures/
This one is interesting, looking at themes of science vs religion, spiritual vs physical nourishment, music at totality, freedom:
https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/m/the-metamorphosis-and-other-stories/summary-and-analysis/investigations-of-a-dog-forschungen-eines-hundes
Interesting article looking at knowledge and self awareness, isolation, alienation, aloneness, contemplation and community: “Despite fond memories of his kin, our narrator admits to being a bit removed from the pack, disconnected by more intimate self-awareness, and thus able to reflect.”:
https://www.theexaminedlife.org/library/investigations-of-a-dog/
This looks interesting also
https://astrofella.wordpress.com/2019/09/28/investigations-of-a-dog-franz-kafka/
This article references it and is interesting, looking at Kafka’s writing style and anxiety fuelled work: https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/midnight-madness-franz-kafkas-investigations-of-a-dog-and-other-creatures/
This one is interesting, looking at themes of science vs religion, spiritual vs physical nourishment, music at totality, freedom:
https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/m/the-metamorphosis-and-other-stories/summary-and-analysis/investigations-of-a-dog-forschungen-eines-hundes
Interesting article looking at knowledge and self awareness, isolation, alienation, aloneness, contemplation and community: “Despite fond memories of his kin, our narrator admits to being a bit removed from the pack, disconnected by more intimate self-awareness, and thus able to reflect.”:
https://www.theexaminedlife.org/library/investigations-of-a-dog/
This looks interesting also
https://astrofella.wordpress.com/2019/09/28/investigations-of-a-dog-franz-kafka/