Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    A Study Guide for Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis
    A Study Guide for Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis
    A Study Guide for Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis
    Ebook37 pages34 minutes

    A Study Guide for Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis

    By Gale and Cengage

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    A Study Guide for Franz Kafka's "The Metamorphosis," excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Short Stories for Students.This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Short Stories for Students for all of your research needs.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherCengage Learning - Gale
    Release dateSep 21, 2015
    ISBN9781535838375
    A Study Guide for Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis

    Read more from Gale

    Related to A Study Guide for Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis

    Related ebooks

    Teaching Methods & Materials For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Is Literature Dead?

      Aug 27, 2018

      Is Literature Dead?
      7 min read

    • Article

      A Year in Reading: Kevin Barry

      Dec 21, 2017

      The book I’ve read the most this year is Antwerp by Roberto Bolaño. I read a few pages from it every morning before I crawl across the floor to my desk. It’s Bolaño distilled. It’s a crime story, a death story, a sex story, a love story, but always i

      2 min read

    • Article

      Postmodernism—for Kids

      Oct 23, 2014

      Postmodernism—for Kids
      4 min read

    • Article

      Ideas To Change Your Life

      Jan 30, 2019

      Ideas To Change Your Life
      9 min read

    • Article

      Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Newton, Bergman, Folk, and More

      Mar 29, 2022

      Here’s a quick look at some notable books—new titles from Maud Newton, Megan Mayhew Bergman, Kate Folk, and more—that are publishing this week. The post Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Newton, Bergman, Folk, and More appeared first on The Millions.

      4 min read

    • Article

      Book Club

      May 25, 2022

      Book Club
      5 min read

    • Article

      What We’re Reading This Summer

      Jun 28, 2019

      Atlantic staffers pick 14 books to spend time with this season, including Freshwater, Republic of Spin, Killing and Dying, and more.

      10 min read

    • Article

      Books

      Aug 1, 2022

      Books
      6 min read

    • Article

      Summer Reading Guide

      May 16, 2022

      Summer Reading Guide
      15 min read

    • Article

      Books

      Apr 8, 2024

      Books
      6 min read

    • Article

      Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Offill, Stuart, Sharlet, Sparks, Lavery, and More

      Feb 11, 2020

      Our own Thomas Beckwith takes a look at some notable books—titles from the likes of Jenny Offill, Douglas Stuart, Jeff Sharlet, Amber Sparks, and Daniel M. Lavery—that are publishing this week. The post Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Offill, Stuar

      5 min read

    • Article

      A Year in Reading: Elena Saavedra Buckley

      Dec 21, 2022

      Elena Saavedra Buckley reflects on 2022 through the books she read. The post A Year in Reading: Elena Saavedra Buckley appeared first on The Millions.

      5 min read

    • Article

      Science Fiction And Fantasy

      Feb 25, 2021

      Will Maclean William Heinemann 2020 Hb, 406pp, £14.99, ISBN 9781785152375 We all know that Fortean Times is inspirational – and it’s inspired three very different novels. First, directly influenced by Bob Fischer’s article “The Haunted Generation” (F

      4 min read

    • Article

      Books

      Jul 18, 2022

      Books
      6 min read

    • Article

      Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Serpell, Englander, Lalami, Leithauser, Hempel, and More

      Mar 26, 2019

      This week's new books include Amy Hempel's first collection in 16 years, Knausgaard on Edvard Munch, and essays from the co-founder of Very Smart Brothas. The post Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Serpell, Englander, Lalami, Leithauser, Hempel, and

      7 min read

    • Article

      Illuminations

      Oct 5, 2022

      Illuminations
      4 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for A Study Guide for Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      A Study Guide for Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis - Gale

      1

      The Metamorphosis

      Franz Kafka

      1915

      Introduction

      The Metamorphosis is probably the best-known story written by the Czech-born German-Jewish writer Franz Kafka, ranking with his two novel-length masterpieces, The Trial and The Castle.

      First published in 1915 in German (under the title Die Verwandlung), The Metamorphosis was written over the course of three weeks in November and December 1912. Kafka at one point contemplated publishing it along with two other stories about father-son relations in a collection to be called Sons, but later decided to issue it on its own. It was first translated into English in 1936, and has been translated several times since.

      The haunting story of a man transformed into an insect has attracted numerous commentators, who while agreeing on the high quality and importance of the story disagree strongly about what it means. Freudian, Marxist, existentialist, and religious interpretations have all been proposed, and there has been debate over whether Gregor Samsa, the man-turned-insect, symbolizes the human condition.

      It is generally agreed, however, that the story portrays a world that is hostile and perhaps absurd and that major themes in the story include father-son antagonism (perhaps reflecting Kafka’s difficult relationship with his own father), alienation at work, isolation, and self-sacrifice.

      The story is sometimes praised for its symmetrical, three-part structure and its use of black humor, and its symbols (such as the lady in furs and the music played by Gregor’s sister) are sometimes puzzled over, but what makes the story memorable is the central situation of the transformation of a man into an insect and the image of the man-insect lying on his back helplessly waving his little insect legs in the air.

      Author Biography

      Born in Prague in 1883 into a Jewish family, Kafka lived the life of an isolated loner. He never married, though he was engaged several times, and he lived most of his life in his parents’ house. He had a difficult relationship with his businessman father, which he described at length in Letter to His Father, and had difficulty writing at home amidst the noise and distractions of a household that included

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1