The Metamorphosis

The Metamorphosis “…his predicament is the predicament of the modern man…” –W.H. Auden By Franz Kafka

FRANZ KAFKA 1883-1924 Born in Prague (1883) German speaking Jew in a mostly Christian/Czech-speaking world Isolated loner Difficult relationship with his father He never married (engaged several times) Lived in his parents’ house most of his life Could not find a place to write

FRANZ KAFKA HATED his job- insurance company Full-time job was interfered with his writing Eventually quit because of illnesses He died of tuberculosis a month before his 41st birthday (1924)

FRANZ KAFKA Extremely critical of his own work Never satisfied Had to be encouraged by his friend and fellow writer, Max Brod, to continue writing Kafka did not think that “The Metamorphosis” was worth publishing

FRANZ KAFKA At the end of his life, he felt very negative about his work Instructed Brod to burn all his manuscripts Brod ignored him

Definition Metamorphosis (noun): 1. a transformation in physical form or character 2. a sudden change in something

The Metamorphosis Kafka’s best-known story First published in 1915 in German Written over the course of three weeks in 1912 First translated into English in 1936

The Metamorphosis The haunting story of a man transformed into an insect. Scholars and critics praise it, but argue about what it means Freudian, Marxist, religious, and existentialist interpretations have been proposed

The Metamorphosis Debate over whether GregorSamsa symbolizes the human condition It is generally agreed that story portrays a world that is hostile and absurd

Themes • Major themes: • Family relationships • Alienation & isolation • Individual vs. Society • The dehumanizing despair of modern life • The search for meaning

Part I: A Famous Opening Line • “As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a giant insect” (Kafka 945). • Compare with another famous opening line . . .

Part I: A Famous Opening Line • “It was a bright cold day in April and the clocks were striking thirteen” (Orwell1). • From 1984 • What do these two lines have in common?

Compare the beginnings to the endings: • “As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a giant insect” (958). • “It was a bright cold day in April and the clocks were striking thirteen” (Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four 1).

Both sentences make their points through defamiliarization: • They initially describe normal, everyday, almost boring events, only to disrupt this sense of normalcy at the very end. • The disruption of readerly expectation is sometimes called a defamiliarization effect

Lost in Translation? • English translators have often sought to render the word Ungeziefer as “insect,” but this is not entirely accurate, as, in German, Ungeziefer literally means “vermin” • LOOK UP THE WORD VERMIN. • Why might “vermin” actually be more appropriate?

Lost in Translation? • “Vermin” can either be defined as a parasite feeding off the living or a vulnerable entity that scurries away upon another’s approach.

“The Metamorphosis” Symmetrical, three-part structure Black humor- humor in response to pain Symbols are sometimes puzzled over What makes the story memorable is the central situation of man-turned-insect and the image of him on his back, helpless

Point of View Third personlimited omniscient Limited to Gregor’s point of view His thoughts and feelings are presented Most of the events are seen through his eyes The point seems to present a picture of Gregor and the world as he understands it

Style (Point of view) This does NOT mean that all of Gregor’s judgments are to be accepted On the contrary, Kafka uses irony and black humor to indicate that Gregor is at times misled For instance, in thinking that he can still go to the office or that his family is putting his interests first

Point of view The point of view changes at the end It becomes simply impersonal third-person narration, remaining on the outside of the characters

Setting Very constricted setting; almost all the events take place in the Samsa house, mostly in Gregor’s room Reflecting the fact the Gregor is essentially a prisoner Small room and unclean toward the end Gregor can see outside, but he sees an overcast sky, rain, fog, and a gray hospital building The setting only changes at the very end

Structure Three parts Each part ends with Gregor being forced back into his room

Symbols Bug Window Loss of voice Furniture Apple Picture frame

Symbols Starvation Locks and Keys The lodgers Violin music Father and Deputy Director Uniform

Eponym Eponyms- words derived from the names of actual or fictional people

“Kafkaesque Kafkaesque- having a nightmarishly complex, bizarre, or illogical quality

“Kafkaesque” Implies a world that is fearful and menacing in its ambiguity and complexity. His haunting, disturbing, and sometimes grotesque images COMBINED with his struggling but ultimately defeated heroes, defined an age where an alienated man questioned and grappled with meaning and justice, but is denied answers.

As you watch… • Analyze how each clip fulfills the description of Kafkaesque • Jot down answers to the following questions and be prepared to share: • How can the world around the protagonist be viewed as nightmarish/vague/complex? • How is the protagonist struggling/alienated? • What is the protagonist questioning?

Kafkaesque situations in film and television Breaking Bad http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaUYn45xIDI Office Space http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vd4fj9Efl4s The Matrix http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lweuy1X9Tcg

Kafkaesque situations in film and television Groundhog Day http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyBSrBqogPY&feature=fvwrel

The Metamorphosis