The Metamorphosis (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Franz Kafka
- First Published: 1915
- Type of Plot: Psychological, fantasy
- Time of Work: The early twentieth century
- Setting: Prague
- Principal Characters: Gregor Samsa, Mr. Samsa, Mrs. Samsa, Grete Samsa, The chief clerk
- Genres: Psychological fiction, Short fiction, Allegory, Fantasy
- Subjects: Mythology or myths, Self, Betrayal, Guilt, 1910’s, Reality, Punishment, Fantasy, Hallucinations or illusions, Work or workers, Sales personnel, Metamorphosis or transmogrification, Insects, Isolation, Czechoslovakia or Czechoslovakians
- Locales: Prague, Czechoslovakia
The Story
The first sentence of “The Metamorphosis” has become one of the most famous in modern fiction: “As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.” Franz Kafka thus subverts narrative tradition by stating his climax in his initial declarative sentence. He then organizes three subclimaxes in three frustrated attempts by Gregor to escape from the imprisonment of his bedroom. The novella's three sections divide it into three clearly identifiable parts, showing Gregor in relation to his occupation,...
[The entire page is 1824 words long]
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