Metamorphosis
by Franz Kafka · first published 1915
33% recommend62% neutral5% critical
Why HN recommends it
Short, strange novella about a man who wakes up as a giant insect; praised for its famous opening line and for challenging ideas of selfhood. Quick to read, suits newcomers to Kafka or existential fiction.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Metamorphosis (German: Die Verwandlung) is a novella written by Franz Kafka which was first published in 1915. One of Kafka's best-known works, Metamorphosis tells the story of salesman Gregor Samsa, who wakes one morning to find himself inexplicably transformed into a huge insect (German: ungeheueres Ungeziefer, lit. "monstrous vermin") and subsequently struggles to adjust to this new condition. The novella has been widely discussed among literary critics, with differing interpretations being offered. In popular culture and adaptations of the novella, the insect is commonly depicted as a cock
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…"It was a pleasure to burn." --Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451 "As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect." --Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis Or these examples from nonfiction: "Air-conditioned, odorless, illuminated by buzzing flourescent tubes, the American market doesn't present itself as having very much to do with Nature." --Michael…
on “How to Write an Opening Sentence” ↗"The Metamorphosis" by Kafka and "Self-Reliance" by Emerson. Both offer some pretty significant challenges to one's notion of self.
on “Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?” ↗The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka Never had a chance to read it and now I think it's one of the most brilliant book I ever red. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Metamorphosis (major spoilers)
on “Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why” ↗Some favorites: Pale Fire by Nabokov Ulysses by Joyce Et Tu, Babe by Leyner Metamorphosis by Kafka (more a long story) Things Fall Apart by Achebe Hamlet and Coriolanus by Shakespeare The Code of the Woosters by Wodehouse The Doorbell Rang by Stout
on “Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read? ” ↗…beauty in the darkest corners of the human spirit, and so much more) The Prince Butler (For using Nietzsche's deconstruction to argue against 'genetic' discrimination, controversial, but very good) Metamorphosis - Kafka (I don't have a one liner to summarize this. Just read it, it's < 100 pages) Funny enough, as far as Tech and Business goes, I skim books to get some details, but at the end of the day most value…
on “Ask HN: Which books changed your life?” ↗…Heidegger) Of Grammatology (Jacques Derrida) Writing and Difference (Jacques Derrida) Martian Timeslip (Philip K. Dick) Ringworld (Larry Niven) The Forever War (Joe Haldeman) The Metamorphosis (Franz Kafka) Finally, the Greek tragedies and Goethe's poetry are basically perfect.
on “Ask HN: What were your "life-changing" books?” ↗Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. Metamorphosis by Kafka. Bend Sinister by Vladimir Nabokov.
on “Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?” ↗…rube-goldberg story about a "neckbeard" and his mother in New Orleans. • Solaris: A novella that reads as a Lovecraftian space horror. • The Summer People : A short modern fairy tale by Kelly Link. • Metamorphosis : Kafka's famous short work about waking up as a giant insect. • Ubik : Fantastic sci-fi that interleaves a bunch of cool premises. • Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow : An emotional book about love…
on “Ask HN: What is the most gripping thing you have read recently?” ↗“...historical context...philosophical themes...existential themes... broader historical and social issues...” This dreary approach is likely to miss the point of Kafka’s art. I recommend Nabokov’s lecture on the Metamorphosis in his Lectures on Literature.
on “The impossibility of translating Franz Kafka (1999)” ↗…Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling 12. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling 13. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander 14. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka 15. Billions and Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium by Carl Sagan 16. Outgrowing God: A Beginner’s Guide to Atheism by Richard Dawkins
on “Ask HN: What are you reading?” ↗…Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins [3] 9. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson 10. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander [4] 11. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka 12. Billions and Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium by Carl Sagan [5][6][7] 13. Outgrowing God: A Beginner’s Guide to Atheism by Richard Dawkins [1]…
on “Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?” ↗…(p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming (p:229) Classics: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023” ↗Really hard to read Kafka, frankly, but I love the major stories of his ("The Trial", "Metamorphosis", etc) and his many short stories so much that I've been trying to learn German (and French, though not necessarily at the same time) over the last year and a half. What I've learned is that I can quite…
on “Kafka: The Rescue Will Begin in Its Own Time” ↗…from. Plato's Republic. Not as accessible, but very important. Girard has become popular again and has some very unique ideas, so people will probably get a lot out of it. Same for Chesterton. Kafka's Metamorphosis deserves to be in the Lit section. Octavia Butler's Xenogenesis series is a must read for science fiction fans, the sci-fi section has some genuinely horrible recommendations in it. Also given that it's…
on “Mind-expanding books” ↗…Kleist - Marionette Theatre Kierkegaard - The Sickness Unto Death Heidegger - Being and Time Sartre - Being and Nothingness Sartre - Flies Sartre - Nausea Deleuze - Difference and Repetition Kafka - Metamorphosis Kafka - The Castle Lem - Magellan Nebula Lem - His Master's Voice Cioran - A Short History of Decay Pessoa - Book Of Despair Wolfe - New Sun tetralogy
on “Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?” ↗