Metamorphosis
By Franz Kafka
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About this ebook
Kafka's narrative delves into the isolation, alienation, and absurdity that Gregor experiences as he grapples with his new identity. The novella is a profound examination of the individual's struggle to maintain a sense of self and belonging in a world that often feels incomprehensible.
Kafka's writing is characterized by its dreamlike quality and a sense of impending doom. As Gregor's physical and emotional transformation unfolds, readers are drawn into a nightmarish world that blurs the lines between reality and illusion.
"Metamorphosis" is a timeless work that continues to captivate readers with its exploration of themes such as identity, family, and the dehumanizing effects of modern society. Kafka's unique style and ability to evoke a sense of existential unease make this novella a literary classic.
Step into the surreal and unsettling world of "Metamorphosis" and embark on a journey of self-discovery and existential reflection. Kafka's masterpiece challenges readers to confront the complexities of the human psyche and the enigmatic nature of existence.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Franz Kafka (1883-1924) was a Czech-born German-speaking novelist and short story writer whose works have had a profound influence on modern literature. Born in Prague, which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Kafka's writing is characterized by its exploration of existentialism, alienation, and the absurdity of human existence.
Kafka's most famous works include "Metamorphosis," where the protagonist wakes up one morning transformed into a giant insect, and "The Trial," a nightmarish tale of a man arrested and tried by an inscrutable and oppressive bureaucracy. His writing often delves into the themes of isolation and the struggle to find meaning in an indifferent world.
Despite his relatively small body of work, Kafka's impact on literature and philosophy has been immense. His writings have been interpreted in various ways, and the term "Kafkaesque" is often used to describe situations characterized by surreal complexity and absurdity.
Kafka's legacy as a literary innovator and his exploration of the human psyche continue to captivate readers and scholars alike, making him a central figure in the world of modern literature.
Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka, geboren am 3. Juli 1883 in Prag, war ein bedeutender deutschsprachiger Schriftsteller des 20. Jahrhunderts. Er entstammte einer jüdischen Familie und wuchs in einer bürgerlichen Umgebung auf. Kafka studierte Jura an der Deutschen Universität in Prag und arbeitete später als Versicherungsangestellter, was ihn jedoch nicht erfüllte. Kafka begann früh mit dem Schreiben von literarischen Werken, die oft von seinen persönlichen Ängsten, Isolationserfahrungen und existenziellen Fragen geprägt waren. Sein Stil war geprägt von einer präzisen Sprache, einem tiefgründigen Sinn für Absurdität und einer düsteren Atmosphäre. Im Jahr 1912 veröffentlichte Kafka seine erste Erzählung Das Urteil, gefolgt von weiteren Werken wie Die Verwandlung, Der Prozess und Das Schloss. Diese Werke sind bekannt für ihre kafkaeske Atmosphäre, in der die Protagonisten oft von undurchsichtigen bürokratischen Strukturen oder unerklärlichen Gesetzen gefangen sind. Kafka litt zeitlebens unter gesundheitlichen Problemen und psychischen Belastungen, die sich auch in seinem Werk widerspiegeln. Er führte ein zurückgezogenes Leben und hatte Schwierigkeiten, seine Werke zu veröffentlichen und anzuerkennen zu lassen. Das Jahr 2024 markiert das sogenannte Kafkajahr, 100 Jahre nach seinem Tod im Jahr 1924. In diesem Jahr werden weltweit Veranstaltungen, Ausstellungen und Aufführungen stattfinden, um das Leben und Werk dieses einflussreichen Schriftstellers zu würdigen. Franz Kafka starb in Kierling bei Wien an Tuberkulose. Obwohl er zu Lebzeiten nur wenig Anerkennung erfuhr, gilt er heute als einer der bedeutendsten Autoren der Moderne und sein Werk hat einen nachhaltigen Einfluss auf die Literaturgeschichte. Kafkas einzigartiger Stil und seine tiefgründigen Themen machen ihn zu einem zeitlosen Klassiker der Weltliteratur.
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Metamorphosis - Franz Kafka
Metamorphosis
Franz Kafka
– 1915 –
I
One morning, when Gregor Samsa woke from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a horrible vermin. He lay on his armour-like back, and if he lifted his head a little he could see his brown belly, slightly domed and divided by arches into stiff sections. The bedding was hardly able to cover it and seemed ready to slide off any moment. His many legs, pitifully thin compared with the size of the rest of him, waved about helplessly as he looked.
What’s happened to me?
he thought. It wasn’t a dream. His room, a proper human room although a little too small, lay peacefully between its four familiar walls. A collection of textile samples lay spread out on the table—Samsa was a travelling salesman—and above it there hung a picture that he had recently cut out of an illustrated magazine and housed in a nice, gilded frame. It showed a lady fitted out with a fur hat and fur boa who sat upright, raising a heavy fur muff that covered the whole of her lower arm towards the viewer.
Gregor then turned to look out the window at the dull weather. Drops of rain could be heard hitting the pane, which made him feel quite sad. How about if I sleep a little bit longer and forget all this nonsense
, he thought, but that was something he was unable to do because he was used to sleeping on his right, and in his present state couldn’t get into that position. However hard he threw himself onto his right, he always rolled back to where he was. He must have tried it a hundred times, shut his eyes so that he wouldn’t have to look at the floundering legs, and only stopped when he began to feel a mild, dull pain there that he had never felt before.
Oh, God
, he thought, what a strenuous career it is that I’ve chosen! Travelling day in and day out. Doing business like this takes much more effort than doing your own business at home, and on top of that there’s the curse of travelling, worries about making train connections, bad and irregular food, contact with different people all the time so that you can never get to know anyone or become friendly with them. It can all go to Hell!
He felt a slight itch up on his belly; pushed himself slowly up on his back towards the headboard so that he could lift his head better; found where the itch was, and saw that it was covered with lots of little white spots which he didn’t know what to make of; and when he tried to feel the place with one of his legs he drew it quickly back because as soon as he touched it he was overcome by a cold shudder.
He slid back into his former position. Getting up early all the time
, he thought, it makes you stupid. You’ve got to get enough sleep. Other travelling salesmen live a life of luxury. For instance, whenever I go back to the guest house during the morning to copy out the contract, these gentlemen are always still sitting there eating their breakfasts. I ought to just try that with my boss; I’d get kicked out on the spot. But who knows, maybe that would be the best thing for me. If I didn’t have my parents to think about I’d have given in my notice a long time ago, I’d have gone up to the boss and told him just what I think, tell him everything I would, let him know just what I feel. He’d fall right off his desk! And it’s a funny sort of business to be sitting up there at your desk, talking down at your subordinates from up there, especially when you have to go right up close because the boss is hard of hearing. Well, there’s still some hope; once I’ve got the money together to pay off my parents’ debt to him—another five or six years I suppose—that’s definitely what I’ll do. That’s when I’ll make the big change. First of all though, I’ve got to get up, my train leaves at five.
And he looked over at the alarm clock, ticking on the chest of drawers. God in Heaven!
he thought. It was half past six and the hands were quietly moving forwards, it was even later than half past, more like quarter to seven. Had the alarm clock not rung? He could see from the bed that it had been set for four o’clock as it should have been; it certainly must have rung. Yes, but was it possible to quietly sleep through that furniture-rattling noise? True, he had not slept peacefully, but probably all the more deeply because of that. What should he do now? The next train went at seven; if he were to catch that he would have to rush like mad and the collection of samples was still not packed, and he did not at all feel particularly fresh and lively. And even if he did catch the train he would not avoid his boss’s anger as the office assistant would have been there to see the five o’clock train go, he would have put in his report about Gregor’s not being there a long time ago. The office assistant was the boss’s man, spineless, and with no understanding. What about if he reported sick? But that would be extremely strained and suspicious as in five years of service Gregor had never once yet been ill. His boss would certainly come round with the doctor from the medical insurance company, accuse his parents of having a lazy son, and accept the doctor’s recommendation not to make any claim as the doctor believed that no-one was ever ill but that many were workshy. And what’s more, would he have been entirely wrong in this case? Gregor did in fact, apart from excessive sleepiness after sleeping for so long, feel completely well and even felt much hungrier than usual.
He was still hurriedly thinking all this through, unable to decide to get out of the bed, when the clock struck quarter to seven. There was a cautious knock at the door near his head. Gregor
, somebody called—it was his mother—it’s quarter to seven. Didn’t you want to go somewhere?
That gentle voice! Gregor was shocked when he heard his own voice answering, it could hardly be recognised as the voice he had had before. As