To Read & To Write

Franz Kafka wrote The Metamorphosis, considered by many, scholars and plebian alike, a masterpiece of 20th Century Literature. The Metamorphosis was originally written in German, the language of Kafka’s homeland, and was published in 1915. This novella is an "absurdist” fable with many symbolic meanings and interpretations, some leaning toward the divide between religion and secularism. The text can also perhaps be read as a commentary on the alienated modern man who must separate from his immediate family (see Explanatory Notes On The Text by the translator of the Bantam publication, Stanley Corngold), or, perhaps a commentary on paranoia and mental illness. Kafka writes simply, with just enough detail for the reader to understand the story as well as just enough room for thoughtful interpretative speculation. The basic plot is as follows: The central character is a hard-working man named Gregor Samsa. Gregor is a travelling salesman, and hasn’t missed a day of work in five y...