Die Verwandlung
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Average rating4
15
Ratings1
Average rating4
Kafka Die Verwandlung The Metamorphosis
A story - not very long - about a man, Georg Samsa, who when waking up one morning in his bed finds himself changed into a kind of enormous bug – I always imagine a kind of big May-bug, lying on its back.
At first the family cares for him or it, but slowly they lose interest – what shall they do with a bug? – and finally the bug dies from lack of food.
When reduced to its simple plot, the story doesn’t seem like a big story, but as always there is more to it than the simple plot.
I read somewhere about Nabukov (author of Lolita) that he held classes about this text, analysing the style and the technique of the narration.
To most people the story will seem somewhat mysterious. And anybody can interprete such a story as they want. Of course I have my own personal interpretation and dare to present it here.
It is known that Kafka had tuberculosis of the lung (doctors found this out in 1917 and at that time it was not curable. Kafka died 7 years later. An author whose destiny is burdened with an incurable disease and who is bound to die at an early point of time may see this as an injustice that fell upon him without his being asked.
Normally one would be at odds with one’s destiny – but Kafka transposed his situation of life in highly artistic images or better parables that have an astonishing effect. Only Kafka did not say: Listen I will tell you a parable so that you may understand better what I feel.
As I said, this is my own private view and it helps me to understand much of Kafka’s work. But this interpretation has a week point. Much of Kafka work was written before 1917. Of course someone who contracts a disease such as tuberculosis will have a feeling of his illness, but it is not sure that he will know he will die of this sickness at an early time. Nevertheless my interpretation helps me to understand much of Kafka’s stories better.
Reviews with the most likes.
What an amazing book. It has been a while since I've read a book where the writing itself was so delectable. In describing an unsavory character: “You have seen, perhaps, sketches of Piltdown man? Cover him with coal dust, add deerskin leggings and a cutaway coat tight as wet leather, and you shall have Santos's younger, undernourished sister.”
This was not what I was expecting, as I'd gone in with little research on the book itself. It was not a fictionalized historical re-enactment of a Middle Passage journey. It was more akin to Lovecraft Country in that it was set against a historical backdrop and introduced just a bit of supernatural flavor. The main character, “Rutherford Calhoun from Illinois” is not quite protagonist, not quite anti-hero, not a stereotype, but fully three dimensional and his character arc is believable and satisfying. Nobody in the cast of characters is fully played to trope. They are for the most part rich and surprising, complex, and very human. Though many do not spend a lot of time on the page, their actions speak volumes and you feel you get to know and understand many of them.
Though written in 1998 it does indeed evoke Moby Dick in flavor and context. There were some prescient passages that take you out of the 1800's, but only serve to add to the import of the commentary. The books comes with a reading group guide, and the whole structure feels like layers within layers. It is composed as a sequence of journal entries, with the journal itself both a key plot device in the story and representing the book you hold in your hands.
I'll refrain from a description of the plot that you can find elsewhere, or a discussion of themes. I will simply whole-heartedly recommend the book as immensely enjoyable and worthy of the National Book Award.
