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Some professors may enjoy dissecting this book, making it appear to be one of the most complex in the history of literature, but basically this is a story that is as simple as a fairy tale and as exciting as a thriller: Salesman Gregor Samsa wakes up and finds himself changed into an enormous insect. Kafka tells the ensuing troubles with a perfectly straight face. In contrast to all those magic realists, he departs from what may happen any day in only one particular, which makes the story all the more haunting. Who has ever identified with an insect? The difficulties Gregor faces are told from his point of view: his family don't believe it's him, he cannot communicate, they try to get rid of him etc. This heartbreaking novella can be enjoyed even by twelve-year-olds. This is definitely the book you should start with if you want to have a go at Kafka.

Kafka's "The Metamorphosis" is one of the most complex titles in 20th century literature. Despite it's short length, it has a seemingly infinite number of levels on which it can be interpreted. Whether read as social condemnation, a symbolic autobiography, or anywhere inbetween, every reader can learn something not only about his world but about himself. In only a few pages, Kafka has epitomized the purpose of literature. Although definately not "escape literature," I highly recommend "The Metamorphosis" to anyone interested in stretching their mind while digging downward into the infinate depths of this novella's meaning.

Gregor Samsa awakes one day to find that he has turned into a giant cockroach: on the surface it is a simple tale, below the surface it is infinitely deep. As a symbol of alienation, Gregor evokes the richest archetypes of the collective unconscious. One can't help but feel an intimate empathic connection to Gregor. The ending is bitterly ironic. Not at all the dry, dull read one expects from "classic" literature. Metamorphosis is bursting with dark humor and rich pathos. Highest recommendation!

This is my favorite work by Kafka, and is definately a perfect introduction to one of the most important writers of the century. I consider this book softer, less angular than some of his other books. There is enormous tension and angst, to be sure, but for me the most overwhelming sense from this book is intense pathos and longing. Samsa is not struggling against secret societies, invisable rules, or seemingly nonexistant yet impenetratable barriers; instead he is struggling against his own form, his own identity. He has given everything yet becomes repulsive; people fear and hate HIM. The passages with and about his sister and her music are especially touching. Kafka's modern fairytales are perhaps the most fascinating pieces of literature written this century. I encourage everyone to read them; don't be scared off by their reputation. I wish Kafka wasn't so ghetto-ized to the world of universities and colleges

This novel, The Metamorphosis, in my eyes was boring and had no point in my view. I hate this novel and I rate it very low because it is very fictional and I do not think that changing that much would ever occur to mess up somebody's family that bad.