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A review by mions
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
dark
funny
fast-paced
3.5
I had heard a great deal about The Metamorphosis before ever reading it, and believe that it does live up to its name.
Shortly after finishing the book, I asked a friend of mine for her opinion of the book, and was thoroughly surprised to find out she actually hated it! While I don’t share the same opinion, most of her reasoning is solid enough. There isn’t actually all that much happening in terms of plot development, and the absurd presentation of Gregor’s issue may cause confusion or disdain in some. But personally I did enjoy this story. It’s a sad one, but made me chuckle a bit here and there thanks to Kafka’s vivid detailing. I found the writing to be rather clever, and I don’t think there was a single moment I found myself snoozing off despite the rather stationary state of affairs.
There is one part of my friend’s description of The Metamorphosis that I completely disagree with, that being that it is “self-pitying”. While the situation in the story is indeed pitiful, considering the topic of the book, I found Gregor as a protagonist to be surprisingly headstrong. When going into a book known for depicting depression, you kind of expect the main character to be full of pessimism and nihilism, so getting a character who’s actually very intent and eager to (literally) get back on their feet but is simply unable to do so was a breath of fresh air
Shortly after finishing the book, I asked a friend of mine for her opinion of the book, and was thoroughly surprised to find out she actually hated it! While I don’t share the same opinion, most of her reasoning is solid enough. There isn’t actually all that much happening in terms of plot development, and the absurd presentation of Gregor’s issue may cause confusion or disdain in some. But personally I did enjoy this story. It’s a sad one, but made me chuckle a bit here and there thanks to Kafka’s vivid detailing. I found the writing to be rather clever, and I don’t think there was a single moment I found myself snoozing off despite the rather stationary state of affairs.
There is one part of my friend’s description of The Metamorphosis that I completely disagree with, that being that it is “self-pitying”. While the situation in the story is indeed pitiful, considering the topic of the book, I found Gregor as a protagonist to be surprisingly headstrong. When going into a book known for depicting depression, you kind of expect the main character to be full of pessimism and nihilism, so getting a character who’s actually very intent and eager to (literally) get back on their feet but is simply unable to do so was a breath of fresh air