Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

What is it: Gregor Samsa, a travelling salesman, wakes up one morning to find that he has transformed into a 'monstrous verminous bug'. His family reacts in horror, attempting to feed him, and Gregor gradually loses his humanity and becomes more bug-like.

Scope for Study / Verdict: As difficult and alienating as the content can be, I love Metamorphosis and am very intrigued by the idea of teaching it. Students can be introduced to concepts and techniques such as: the idea of a text being 'Kafkaesque', the use and impact of visceral language, the challenges of translating a German text into English (see this article for further discussion), symbolism and allegory, and the syntactical wonders of anacoluthon. Kafka's infamous and absurdly disgusting tale of early 20th century dehumanisation will provoke discussion if nothing else!