Kafka’s 1915 story, The Metamorphosis, begins with: “As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a giant insect.”

Published in German in 1919, Kafka wrote The Penal Colony in 1914. Some interpret this story, which focuses on law and punishment and is narrated by a traveling anthropologist, as a reflection of trench warfare.

Kafka composed The Blue Octavo Notebooks during a joyful vacation with his beloved sister, Ottla. This work consists of proverbs, reflections, and literary sketches.

Written in 1922 but only published in 1926, The Castle tells the story of a surveyor named K. who responds to a job summons. Upon arriving in the town below the Castle, the local officials are unaware of his purpose. K. attempts, unsuccessfully, to gain the attention of a Castle official named Klamm.

Kafka consented to the publication of The Hunger Artist in 1924 as he was nearing death. This story revolves around a circus performer whose act involves fasting. He sits in a cage and refrains from eating alongside other attractions.

There are notable parallels to Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem, “Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” This poem narrates the tale of a sailor who impulsively kills an albatross—a symbol of good fortune—and faces cosmic retribution as a result.

Kafka gained insights into writing about courts and the law from reading Charles Dickens' Bleak House, published in book form in 1853. This novel critiques the English court system through the endless lawsuit of Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment is considered the greatest criminal psychology thriller. Published in 1866, it tells the story of Raskolnikov's crime of murder. This novel is another influence on Kafka's The Trial.