This is the first writing by Kafka I've read that I haven't been impressed by. And unlike the Trial, when they say it is unfinished, they really mean unfinished, like it cuts off in the middle of a sentence. I don't understand why this was published, or why people continue to read it today. The …
Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Kafka has some way with words that makes everything seem like a slow, surreal nightmare. This story, in simple, straightforward language, manages that feeling while still being somewhat comical. Gregor Samsa wakes one morning to find he's transformed into a giant insect-like creature who's smell and appearance so horrify his family that they can't bear …
Starting at the action
I'm listening to Kafka's Metamorphosis, and the first sentence is him waking up as a giant insect. This is how stories should be told. So many other writers, amateur or not, would write however many thousands of words about the day before it happened--but why waste time getting there? Since the story is about him …
A trial on my nerves
I've started reading Franz Kafka's 'The Trial' and just from the beginning am already feeling upset and unsettled. I think this book may not be for me, but I'll continue for now. I've heard this book described as both a funny satire, and an existential horror story. I'm wondering if this depends on the kind …
Jonas David 