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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Both translations were good although I've obviously never read the original in German, so I can't really say which was better. "In the Penal Colony" is one of the most messed up stories I have ever read.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Have you ever read something where you knew pretty early on that you weren’t the target audience? Because that’s how I felt reading this book. There were some parts of the book that I enjoyed, particularly the stories towards the end after The Penal Colony entry, but the ones at the beginning were a bit odd to me. As well, I know I should have liked The Metamorphosis considering it was what the whole book was based around, but it just wasn’t for me and I think that’s okay! Glad others got more value out of it than I did, and while it wasn’t my cup of tea, there were still parts I enjoyed quite a lot, so thankful for that.
"The Metamorphosis," is an archetypal story of transformation and rejection. The themes that are resurrected throughout Gregor's journey of isolation and self-acceptance raise the universal questions that underpin our deepest insecurities: do people really love me for me? If I were to change, would I still be accepted? What would happen to me if I didn't conform?
What is so striking about this story is that Gregor seems relatively content living life as an insect. It isn't until exterior opinions (most immediately, that of his family, and of course society at large) reject his newfound insectile existence does he begin to doubt his sense of self, to "collect dust," as it were, and eventually surrender to the whims of society.
The other story that drew me from this collection was "The Penal Colony," which is a fascinating take on corporal punishment and seems timely as we examine our systems of justice and the dedication to preserving systems that in the end, do more harm than good.
The rest of the stories, truth be told, I did not care for very much in terms of just reading. Analyzing and diving deeper into them could definitely be fruitful if I gave it more time.
What is so striking about this story is that Gregor seems relatively content living life as an insect. It isn't until exterior opinions (most immediately, that of his family, and of course society at large) reject his newfound insectile existence does he begin to doubt his sense of self, to "collect dust," as it were, and eventually surrender to the whims of society.
The other story that drew me from this collection was "The Penal Colony," which is a fascinating take on corporal punishment and seems timely as we examine our systems of justice and the dedication to preserving systems that in the end, do more harm than good.
The rest of the stories, truth be told, I did not care for very much in terms of just reading. Analyzing and diving deeper into them could definitely be fruitful if I gave it more time.
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
No
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
I suppose it was ok as a classic, found it quite surreal at times especially The Metamorphosis. Yet that was the best out the lot and at least it had a happy ending.
I for one won't be rushing back to read this book.
I for one won't be rushing back to read this book.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
eraserhead baby core
Kafka is easily one of my favorite writers. He is Haunting and quizzical, disturbing and delightful. This collection contains his short stories, the work that Kafka is most known for. Naturally "The Metamorphosis" is just as good as you have been told, but I'd argue that "In the Penal Colony" is the best offering here. It affected me physically.
This was a jumping in point for Kafka's writing for me. Since then, I have read a couple of his novels and most of his stories a few times. Each read gets better and better, so I cannot recommend this highly enough.
This was a jumping in point for Kafka's writing for me. Since then, I have read a couple of his novels and most of his stories a few times. Each read gets better and better, so I cannot recommend this highly enough.