The Metamorphosis | Essays and Criticism

  • The Meaning and Significance of The Metamorphosis

    In-depth essay exploring the meaning of the story, with special emphasis on the insect symbolism.

  • Vermin, Meaning, and Kafka

    The essay explores Kafka's presentation of various characters and their traits as "vermin" in "The Metamorphosis."

  • The Reality of Unreality

    In the following essay, Hollan identifies a balance between unreal and realist elements in "The Metamorphosis," finding that in many cases Kafka has "charged a specific realistic element of the story with a specific non-realistic or spiritual value.''

  • A Review of "The Metamorphosis"

    In the following brief review of the first English translation of ‘‘The Metamorphosis,’’ Spender calls it a ‘‘strange and terrifying nightmare.’’