卡夫卡的文學創作主要成就是三部未完成的長篇小說和一些中短篇小說。
長篇小說《美國》(1912—1914年寫成)，描寫16歲的德國少年卡爾·羅斯曼，因受傢中女僕的引誘，致使女僕懷孕，被父母趕出傢門，放逐到美國的經歷遭遇。作品所側重的是人物在美國憂鬱、孤獨的內心感受。
長篇小說《審判》（1918年寫成），作品講述的是銀行助理約瑟夫·K無故受審判並被處死的故事。約瑟夫·K在30歲生日的那天早晨醒來按鈴聲吃早餐時，進來的不是女僕而是兩個官差，宣告他被捕，並被法庭審判有罪，他雖被捕卻仍能自由生活，照常工作。他不知道自己在什麽地方有罪，認為一定是法院搞錯了，堅信自己無罪。約瑟夫·K不願屈就命運，他同這場明知毫無希望的訴訟展開了一生的交戰，公然嚮不公正的法庭挑戰。在第一次審判時，他慷慨激昂地揭露法庭黑暗，為自己的無辜理奔波，找人幫忙，想搞個水落石出，親自動手寫抗辯書，從各個方面來說明自己無罪。他生怕自己在某一個最微小的地方犯過什麽過錯，竭力去尋找，捕捉而不可得，惶惶不可終日。然而一切努力都徒勞無益，K終於明白，要擺脫命運的安排，擺脫法律之網的束縛是不可能的。最後，他毫無反抗地被兩個黑衣人架走，在碎石場的懸崖下被處死。
短篇小說《中國長城的建造》（1918—1919）描寫中國的老百姓受無形權力的驅使，去建造毫無防禦作用的長城，表現出了人在強權統治面前的無可奈何與無能為力。
《判决》（1912）是卡夫卡最喜愛的作品，表現了父子兩代人的衝突。主人公格奧爾格·本德曼是個商人，自從幾年前母親去世後就和父親一起生活，現在生意興隆。他在房間裏給一位多年前遷居俄國的朋友寫信，告訴他自己訂婚的消息。寫完信來到父親的房間，意外的是父親對他態度非常不好，懷疑他根本就沒有遷居到俄國的朋友，指責他背着自己做生意，還盼着自己早死。突然，父親又轉了話題，嘲笑格奧爾格在欺騙他朋友，而父親自己倒是一直跟那位朋友通信，並早已把格奧爾格訂婚的消息告訴他了。格奧爾格忍不住頂撞了父親一句，父親便判獨生子去投河自盡。於是獨生子真的投河死了。作品所描寫的在父子兩人的口角過程中，清白善良的兒子竟被父親視為有罪和執拗殘暴，在父親的淫威之下，獨生子害怕、恐懼到了喪失理智，以致自盡。父親高大強壯而毫無理性，具有一切暴君的特徵。這個貌似荒誕的故事是卡夫卡負罪心態的生動描述，父親的判决也是卡夫卡對自己的判决。主人公臨死前的低聲辯白——“親愛的父母親，我可是一直愛你們的”，則是卡夫卡最隱秘心麯的吐露。這種故事的框架是典型的卡夫卡式的，是他內心深處的負罪感具象化之後的産物。然而作品的內涵顯然不在於僅僅表現父子衝突，更在於在普遍意義上揭示出人類生存在怎樣一種權威和凌辱之下。另一方面又展現人物為戰勝父親進行的一係列抗爭。兒子把看來衰老的父親如同孩子般放到床上後，真的把他“蓋了起來”。從表面上看，他這樣做是出於孝心；在深層含義上他是想埋葬父親，以確立自己作為新的一傢之主的地位。小說在體現了卡夫卡獨特的“審父”意識的同時，也表現了對傢長式的奧匈帝國統治者的不滿。與此同時卡夫卡還通過這個獨特的故事揭示了西方社會中現實生活的荒謬性和非理性。
長篇小說《城堡》（1922）是一部典型的表現主義小說，具有鮮明的卡夫卡特色。小說主人翁K 是一個名義上的土地測量員，應聘前往不知名的城堡工作。誰知堡內層層機構，沒有人知道這項聘任，K遇上重重的阻撓，衹好孤軍奮戰，和官僚權貴不懈地進行鬥爭，直到最後他始終沒有進入城堡，也無法見到城堡最高當局。
《饑餓藝術傢》（1922）中歌唱藝人為了生存，為了使自己的藝術達到“最高境界”，竟把絶路作為出路，以絶食表演作為謀生手段，宣稱可以40天不進食而引吭高歌表演，進而發展到為絶食而絶食的“藝術”境界，仿佛饑餓真的就與人的肉體感覺離開了一樣。40天過去了，他仍堅持要絶食表演下去，後被經理強迫進食。藝術傢深為他的饑餓藝術未達佳境而遺憾，更為人們對他的藝術追求不理解不支持備感孤獨，他把原本作為生計手段的挨餓，當成生存目的和真正“藝術”而孜孜以求，最後被送進馬戲團，關在籠中與獸類一起供人參觀，無異於真正的動物。骨瘦如柴的藝術傢的意象有多重寓意，是人性異化、精神展品化和藝術異化的象徵，是現代人痛苦悲哀現狀的寫照。
《洞穴》（1923—1924）是卡夫卡晚期創作中最具代表性的力作。主人公是一隻不知名的人格化的鼴鼠類動物。作品采用第一人稱自敘法，描寫了“我”擔心外來襲擊，修築了堅固地洞，貯存了大量食物，地洞雖暢通無阻，無懈可擊，防禦退逃自如，但 “我”還是時時處於驚恐之中，惶惶不可終日。 “我”又常年不斷地改建地洞，輾轉不停地把糧食從地洞的這個地方搬到那個地方，做好防禦工作以防外界強敵前來襲擊。它說：“即使從墻上掉下來的一粒沙子，不搞清它的去嚮我也不能放心。”它嚮一種未知的危險、嚮它周圍無窮的一切發動了一場殊死的戰鬥：“我離開了世界，下到我的地洞裏”，“如果我能平息我心中的衝突，我就相信自己已經很幸福了”。然而它永遠在挖掘新的地道，在這個沒有盡頭的迷宮裏，面對“一種我始終應該擔心的東西，一件我始終應該有所防備的事情：有個人來了”。小說真實地反映了一次大戰前後，普通小人物失卻安全感、生活與生命得不到保障的恐懼心態。
《緻科學院的報告》描寫馬戲團試圖尋找“人類道路”而馴化猿猴成為會說話的人的故事。被關在狹窄籠子裏的非洲猿猴，在人的逼迫下學人吐唾沫、學人喝燒酒、學人語喊“哈羅”。凄厲的哀號與悲鳴，傳遞出失卻自由、沒有出路的苦悶與悲觀絶望情緒 。漸失猿性獲取人性的過程畸變，正是人類異化的一種反嚮印證。
絶筆之作《女歌手約瑟芬或耗子民族》則描寫了一個不幸族類與一個不幸藝術傢，以及藝術三者之間的復雜關係。這部作品包含着卡夫卡有關藝術和藝術傢以及與種族和民族關係的深刻見解。其含義比《饑餓藝術傢》更為復雜深廣。
卡夫卡還留下了大量的書信作品，這些書信作品摻雜了卡夫卡個人大量思想性的東西，文學、藝術價值絲毫不亞於其正規的文學作品。保留較多的有《緻菲利斯.鮑威爾》（菲利斯鮑威爾係卡夫卡定、退婚多次的情人）、《緻馬剋思.勃羅德》（即其好友Max Brod)以及超級長信《緻父親》。其中《緻父親》雖然是一封信，但在文學、教育學、心理學、倫理學等方面均極有價值。
除此之外，卡夫卡的一位年輕朋友還記錄下了卡夫卡的一部分談話，整理成《談話錄》出版。另有《他》、《雜感》等作品被保留下來。這些作品是以對話、陳述的形式寫成，幾乎是卡夫卡個人世界觀的直接闡述，既有他本人主觀感情的宣泄，也有他以極深邃的哲學語言對世界的客觀描述。
* Description of a Struggle (Beschreibung eines Kampfes, 1904–1905)
* Wedding Preparations in the Country (Hochzeitsvorbereitungen auf dem Lande, 1907–1908)
* Contemplation (Betrachtung, 1904–1912)
* The Judgment (Das Urteil, 22–23 September 1912)
* The Stoker
* In the Penal Colony (In der Strafkolonie, October 1914)
* The Village Schoolmaster (Der Dorfschullehrer or Der Riesenmaulwurf, 1914–1915)
* Blumfeld, an Elderly Bachelor (Blumfeld, ein älterer Junggeselle, 1915)
* The Warden of the Tomb (Der Gruftwächter, 1916–1917), the only play Kafka wrote
* The Hunter Gracchus (Der Jäger Gracchus, 1917)
* The Great Wall of China (Beim Bau der Chinesischen Mauer, 1917)
* A Report to an Academy (Ein Bericht für eine Akademie, 1917)
* Jackals and Arabs (Schakale und Araber, 1917)
* A Country Doctor (Ein Landarzt, 1919)
* A Message from the Emperor (Eine kaiserliche Botschaft, 1919)
* An Old Manuscript (Ein altes Blatt, 1919)
* The Refusal (Die Abweisung, 1920)
* A Hunger Artist (Ein Hungerkünstler, 1924)
* Investigations of a Dog (Forschungen eines Hundes, 1922)
* A Little Woman (Eine kleine Frau, 1923)
* First Sorrow (Erstes Leid, 1921–1922)
* The Burrow (Der Bau, 1923–1924)
* Josephine the Singer, or the Mouse Folk (Josephine, die Sängerin, oder Das Volk der Mäuse, 1924)
Many collections of the stories have been published, and they include:
* The Penal Colony: Stories and Short Pieces. New York: Schocken Books, 1948.
* The Complete Stories, (ed. Nahum N. Glatzer). New York: Schocken Books, 1971.
* The Basic Kafka. New York: Pocket Books, 1979.
* The Sons. New York: Schocken Books, 1989.
* The Metamorphosis, In the Penal Colony, and Other Stories. New York: Schocken Books, 1995.
* Contemplation. Twisted Spoon Press, 1998.
* Metamorphosis and Other Stories. Penguin Classics, 2007
Novellas
* The Metamorphosis (Die Verwandlung, November – December 1915)
Novels
* The Trial (Der Prozeß, 1925) (includes short story Before the Law)
* The Castle (Das Schloß, 1926)
* Amerika (Amerika or Der Verschollene, 1927)
Diaries and notebooks
* Diaries 1910–1923
* The Blue Octavo Notebooks
Letters
* Letter to His Father
* Letters to Felice
* Letters to Ottla
* Letters to Milena
* Letters to Family, Friends, and Editors
長篇小說《美國》(1912—1914年寫成)，描寫16歲的德國少年卡爾·羅斯曼，因受傢中女僕的引誘，致使女僕懷孕，被父母趕出傢門，放逐到美國的經歷遭遇。作品所側重的是人物在美國憂鬱、孤獨的內心感受。
長篇小說《審判》（1918年寫成），作品講述的是銀行助理約瑟夫·K無故受審判並被處死的故事。約瑟夫·K在30歲生日的那天早晨醒來按鈴聲吃早餐時，進來的不是女僕而是兩個官差，宣告他被捕，並被法庭審判有罪，他雖被捕卻仍能自由生活，照常工作。他不知道自己在什麽地方有罪，認為一定是法院搞錯了，堅信自己無罪。約瑟夫·K不願屈就命運，他同這場明知毫無希望的訴訟展開了一生的交戰，公然嚮不公正的法庭挑戰。在第一次審判時，他慷慨激昂地揭露法庭黑暗，為自己的無辜理奔波，找人幫忙，想搞個水落石出，親自動手寫抗辯書，從各個方面來說明自己無罪。他生怕自己在某一個最微小的地方犯過什麽過錯，竭力去尋找，捕捉而不可得，惶惶不可終日。然而一切努力都徒勞無益，K終於明白，要擺脫命運的安排，擺脫法律之網的束縛是不可能的。最後，他毫無反抗地被兩個黑衣人架走，在碎石場的懸崖下被處死。
短篇小說《中國長城的建造》（1918—1919）描寫中國的老百姓受無形權力的驅使，去建造毫無防禦作用的長城，表現出了人在強權統治面前的無可奈何與無能為力。
《判决》（1912）是卡夫卡最喜愛的作品，表現了父子兩代人的衝突。主人公格奧爾格·本德曼是個商人，自從幾年前母親去世後就和父親一起生活，現在生意興隆。他在房間裏給一位多年前遷居俄國的朋友寫信，告訴他自己訂婚的消息。寫完信來到父親的房間，意外的是父親對他態度非常不好，懷疑他根本就沒有遷居到俄國的朋友，指責他背着自己做生意，還盼着自己早死。突然，父親又轉了話題，嘲笑格奧爾格在欺騙他朋友，而父親自己倒是一直跟那位朋友通信，並早已把格奧爾格訂婚的消息告訴他了。格奧爾格忍不住頂撞了父親一句，父親便判獨生子去投河自盡。於是獨生子真的投河死了。作品所描寫的在父子兩人的口角過程中，清白善良的兒子竟被父親視為有罪和執拗殘暴，在父親的淫威之下，獨生子害怕、恐懼到了喪失理智，以致自盡。父親高大強壯而毫無理性，具有一切暴君的特徵。這個貌似荒誕的故事是卡夫卡負罪心態的生動描述，父親的判决也是卡夫卡對自己的判决。主人公臨死前的低聲辯白——“親愛的父母親，我可是一直愛你們的”，則是卡夫卡最隱秘心麯的吐露。這種故事的框架是典型的卡夫卡式的，是他內心深處的負罪感具象化之後的産物。然而作品的內涵顯然不在於僅僅表現父子衝突，更在於在普遍意義上揭示出人類生存在怎樣一種權威和凌辱之下。另一方面又展現人物為戰勝父親進行的一係列抗爭。兒子把看來衰老的父親如同孩子般放到床上後，真的把他“蓋了起來”。從表面上看，他這樣做是出於孝心；在深層含義上他是想埋葬父親，以確立自己作為新的一傢之主的地位。小說在體現了卡夫卡獨特的“審父”意識的同時，也表現了對傢長式的奧匈帝國統治者的不滿。與此同時卡夫卡還通過這個獨特的故事揭示了西方社會中現實生活的荒謬性和非理性。
長篇小說《城堡》（1922）是一部典型的表現主義小說，具有鮮明的卡夫卡特色。小說主人翁K 是一個名義上的土地測量員，應聘前往不知名的城堡工作。誰知堡內層層機構，沒有人知道這項聘任，K遇上重重的阻撓，衹好孤軍奮戰，和官僚權貴不懈地進行鬥爭，直到最後他始終沒有進入城堡，也無法見到城堡最高當局。
《饑餓藝術傢》（1922）中歌唱藝人為了生存，為了使自己的藝術達到“最高境界”，竟把絶路作為出路，以絶食表演作為謀生手段，宣稱可以40天不進食而引吭高歌表演，進而發展到為絶食而絶食的“藝術”境界，仿佛饑餓真的就與人的肉體感覺離開了一樣。40天過去了，他仍堅持要絶食表演下去，後被經理強迫進食。藝術傢深為他的饑餓藝術未達佳境而遺憾，更為人們對他的藝術追求不理解不支持備感孤獨，他把原本作為生計手段的挨餓，當成生存目的和真正“藝術”而孜孜以求，最後被送進馬戲團，關在籠中與獸類一起供人參觀，無異於真正的動物。骨瘦如柴的藝術傢的意象有多重寓意，是人性異化、精神展品化和藝術異化的象徵，是現代人痛苦悲哀現狀的寫照。
《洞穴》（1923—1924）是卡夫卡晚期創作中最具代表性的力作。主人公是一隻不知名的人格化的鼴鼠類動物。作品采用第一人稱自敘法，描寫了“我”擔心外來襲擊，修築了堅固地洞，貯存了大量食物，地洞雖暢通無阻，無懈可擊，防禦退逃自如，但 “我”還是時時處於驚恐之中，惶惶不可終日。 “我”又常年不斷地改建地洞，輾轉不停地把糧食從地洞的這個地方搬到那個地方，做好防禦工作以防外界強敵前來襲擊。它說：“即使從墻上掉下來的一粒沙子，不搞清它的去嚮我也不能放心。”它嚮一種未知的危險、嚮它周圍無窮的一切發動了一場殊死的戰鬥：“我離開了世界，下到我的地洞裏”，“如果我能平息我心中的衝突，我就相信自己已經很幸福了”。然而它永遠在挖掘新的地道，在這個沒有盡頭的迷宮裏，面對“一種我始終應該擔心的東西，一件我始終應該有所防備的事情：有個人來了”。小說真實地反映了一次大戰前後，普通小人物失卻安全感、生活與生命得不到保障的恐懼心態。
《緻科學院的報告》描寫馬戲團試圖尋找“人類道路”而馴化猿猴成為會說話的人的故事。被關在狹窄籠子裏的非洲猿猴，在人的逼迫下學人吐唾沫、學人喝燒酒、學人語喊“哈羅”。凄厲的哀號與悲鳴，傳遞出失卻自由、沒有出路的苦悶與悲觀絶望情緒 。漸失猿性獲取人性的過程畸變，正是人類異化的一種反嚮印證。
絶筆之作《女歌手約瑟芬或耗子民族》則描寫了一個不幸族類與一個不幸藝術傢，以及藝術三者之間的復雜關係。這部作品包含着卡夫卡有關藝術和藝術傢以及與種族和民族關係的深刻見解。其含義比《饑餓藝術傢》更為復雜深廣。
卡夫卡還留下了大量的書信作品，這些書信作品摻雜了卡夫卡個人大量思想性的東西，文學、藝術價值絲毫不亞於其正規的文學作品。保留較多的有《緻菲利斯.鮑威爾》（菲利斯鮑威爾係卡夫卡定、退婚多次的情人）、《緻馬剋思.勃羅德》（即其好友Max Brod)以及超級長信《緻父親》。其中《緻父親》雖然是一封信，但在文學、教育學、心理學、倫理學等方面均極有價值。
除此之外，卡夫卡的一位年輕朋友還記錄下了卡夫卡的一部分談話，整理成《談話錄》出版。另有《他》、《雜感》等作品被保留下來。這些作品是以對話、陳述的形式寫成，幾乎是卡夫卡個人世界觀的直接闡述，既有他本人主觀感情的宣泄，也有他以極深邃的哲學語言對世界的客觀描述。
* Description of a Struggle (Beschreibung eines Kampfes, 1904–1905)
* Wedding Preparations in the Country (Hochzeitsvorbereitungen auf dem Lande, 1907–1908)
* Contemplation (Betrachtung, 1904–1912)
* The Judgment (Das Urteil, 22–23 September 1912)
* The Stoker
* In the Penal Colony (In der Strafkolonie, October 1914)
* The Village Schoolmaster (Der Dorfschullehrer or Der Riesenmaulwurf, 1914–1915)
* Blumfeld, an Elderly Bachelor (Blumfeld, ein älterer Junggeselle, 1915)
* The Warden of the Tomb (Der Gruftwächter, 1916–1917), the only play Kafka wrote
* The Hunter Gracchus (Der Jäger Gracchus, 1917)
* The Great Wall of China (Beim Bau der Chinesischen Mauer, 1917)
* A Report to an Academy (Ein Bericht für eine Akademie, 1917)
* Jackals and Arabs (Schakale und Araber, 1917)
* A Country Doctor (Ein Landarzt, 1919)
* A Message from the Emperor (Eine kaiserliche Botschaft, 1919)
* An Old Manuscript (Ein altes Blatt, 1919)
* The Refusal (Die Abweisung, 1920)
* A Hunger Artist (Ein Hungerkünstler, 1924)
* Investigations of a Dog (Forschungen eines Hundes, 1922)
* A Little Woman (Eine kleine Frau, 1923)
* First Sorrow (Erstes Leid, 1921–1922)
* The Burrow (Der Bau, 1923–1924)
* Josephine the Singer, or the Mouse Folk (Josephine, die Sängerin, oder Das Volk der Mäuse, 1924)
Many collections of the stories have been published, and they include:
* The Penal Colony: Stories and Short Pieces. New York: Schocken Books, 1948.
* The Complete Stories, (ed. Nahum N. Glatzer). New York: Schocken Books, 1971.
* The Basic Kafka. New York: Pocket Books, 1979.
* The Sons. New York: Schocken Books, 1989.
* The Metamorphosis, In the Penal Colony, and Other Stories. New York: Schocken Books, 1995.
* Contemplation. Twisted Spoon Press, 1998.
* Metamorphosis and Other Stories. Penguin Classics, 2007
Novellas
* The Metamorphosis (Die Verwandlung, November – December 1915)
Novels
* The Trial (Der Prozeß, 1925) (includes short story Before the Law)
* The Castle (Das Schloß, 1926)
* Amerika (Amerika or Der Verschollene, 1927)
Diaries and notebooks
* Diaries 1910–1923
* The Blue Octavo Notebooks
Letters
* Letter to His Father
* Letters to Felice
* Letters to Ottla
* Letters to Milena
* Letters to Family, Friends, and Editors
《變形記》（德語Die Verwandlung，英語The Metamorphosis）是卡夫卡的短篇小說代表作之一,是卡氏藝術上的最高成就，被認為是20世紀最偉大的小說作品之一。 在西方現代小說史上占有重要地位.小說寫人變成動物,故事神秘離奇。《變形記》作為西方現代派文學的奠基之作，也是卡夫卡也被公認為現代派的鼻祖的重要作品之一，對後來的現代主義發展産生了深遠的影響，可以說二戰後的歐洲興起的“荒誕派戲劇”、法國的“新小說”和美國的“黑色幽默”小說都受到了卡夫卡的啓發。主人公格裏高爾是個小人物。父親破産，母親生病，妹妹上學。沉重的家庭負擔和父親的債務，壓得格裏高爾喘不過氣來。他拼命幹活，目的是還清父債，改善家庭生活。在公司，他受老闆的氣，指望還清父債後辭職。可以說，對父母他是個孝子，對妹妹他是個好哥哥，對公司他是個好職員。變成甲蟲，身體越來越差，他還為還清父債擔憂，還眷戀傢人，甚至為討父親歡心，自己艱難地乖乖爬回臥室。這樣善良、忠厚而又富有責任感的人，最終被親人拋棄。格裏高爾的悲劇是令人心酸的，具有豐富的社會內涵。
《變形記》-作者簡介
弗蘭茲·卡夫卡弗蘭茲·卡夫卡
弗蘭茲·卡夫卡（Franz Kafka，1883年7月3日—1924年6月3日），奧地利小說傢，20世紀德語小說傢。文筆明淨而想像奇詭，常采用寓言體,背後的寓意人言人殊，暫無（或永無）定論。
卡夫卡他是一位用德語寫作的業餘作傢，他與法國作傢馬賽爾·普魯斯特，愛爾蘭作傢詹姆斯·喬伊斯並稱為西方現代主義文學的先驅和大師。卡夫卡生前默默無聞，孤獨地奮鬥，隨着時間的流逝，他的價值纔逐漸為人們所認識，作品引起了世界的震動，並在世界範圍內形成一股“卡夫卡”熱，經久不衰。
後世的批評傢，往往過分強調卡夫卡作品陰暗的一面，忽視其明朗、風趣的地方，米蘭·昆德拉在《被背叛的遺囑》（Les testaments trahis）中試圖糾正這一點。其實據布勞德的回憶，卡夫卡喜歡在朋友面前朗讀自己的作品，讀到得意的段落時會忍俊不禁，自己大笑起來。
卡夫卡一生的作品並不多，但對後世文學的影響卻是極為深遠的。美國詩人奧登認為：“他與我們時代的關係最近似但丁、莎士比亞、歌德與他們時代的關係。”卡夫卡的小說揭示了一種荒誕的充滿非理性色彩的景象，個人式的、憂鬱的、孤獨的情緒，運用的是象徵式的手法。三四十年代的超現實主義餘黨視之為同仁，四五十年代的荒誕派以之為先驅，六十年代的美國”黑色幽默“奉之為典範。
卡夫卡1909年開始發表作品，1915年因短篇小說《司爐工》獲馮塔納德國文學奬金。卡夫卡創作勤奮，但並不以發表、成名為目的。工作之餘的創作是他寄托思想感情和排譴憂鬱苦悶的手段。許多作品隨意寫來，並無結尾，他對自己的作品也多為不滿，臨終前讓摯友布洛德全部燒毀其作品。布洛德出於友誼與崇敬之情，違背了卡夫卡遺願，整理出版了《卡夫卡全集》（1950—1980）共九捲。其中八捲中的作品是首次刊出，引起文壇轟動。
《變形記》-內容簡介
背景
1914年至1918年的第一次世界大戰，使許多資本主義國傢經濟蕭條，社會動蕩，人民生活在水深火熱之中。黑暗的現實，痛苦的生活，使得人們對資本主義社會失去信心，一方面尋求出路，銳意改革，一方面又陷於孤獨、頽廢、絶望之中。19世紀末至20世紀初，一些思想敏銳的藝術傢認為世界是混亂的、荒誕的，他們著書立說，批判資本主義的人際關係，批判摧殘人性的社會制度。第一次世界大戰前後和第二次世界大戰前後，現代主義文學應運而生。現代主義文學作品反映了資本主義社會的黑暗，人和人之間關係的冷酷，人對社會的絶望。藝術上強調使用極度誇張以至怪誕離奇的表現手法，描繪扭麯的人性，表現人的本能和無意識的主觀感受，開掘個人的直覺、本能、無意識、夢幻、變態心理以至半瘋狂、瘋狂的言行、心理。現代主義的優秀文學作品探索人的心靈，為揭示人的內心世界提供了新的藝術手法。
內容
小說寫人變成動物,故事神秘離奇：在《變形記》中，職業為推銷員的主人翁一覺醒來，發現自己變成了一隻巨大的跳蚤。
一天早晨,格裏高爾從夢中醒來時發現自己躺在床上變成了一隻巨大的甲蟲,全身長出了許多衹細得可憐的小腿,堅硬得像鐵甲一樣的背貼着床而仰臥着,不能翻身,也下不了床. 但他必須起來。他要靜悄悄不受打擾地起床,穿起衣服,最要緊的是吃飽早飯,再考慮下一步該怎麽辦,因為他非常明白,躲在床上瞎想一氣是想不出什麽明堂的. 他還記得過去也是因為睡覺姿勢不好,躺在床上時往往會覺得這兒那兒隱隱作痛,及至起來,就知道純屬心理作用,所以他殷切地盼望今天早晨的幻覺會逐漸消逝。格裏高爾,雖然人己'物化'為蟲子,但他還存在人的思維,還要象正常人一樣生活和思考.由於擔心趕不上五點鐘的火車.格裏高爾心情既焦急又恐慌,又生怕公司來人,自己這種面目如何見人!他竭力掙紮。 格裏高爾慢慢地把椅子推嚮門邊,接着便放開椅子,抓住門來支撐自己——他那些細腿的腳底上倒是頗有粘性的。他在門上靠了一會兒,喘過一口氣來.接着他始用嘴巴轉動插在鎖孔裏的鑰匙.不幸的是,他並沒什麽牙齒。他得用什麽來咬住鑰匙呢 ？鑰匙需要轉動時,他便用嘴巴銜住它,自己也繞着鎖孔轉了一圈,好把鑰匙扭過去,或者不如說,使用全身的重量使它轉動.終於屈服的鎖發出了響亮的咔塔一聲,使格裏高爾大為高興··· ···
《變形記》-情節和主題
《變形記》創作於1912年，發表於1915年。小說分成三部分，用一、二、三標明。課文節選了原小說的一半內容。
第一部分
格裏高爾發現自己變成“巨大的甲蟲”，驚慌而又憂鬱。父親發現後大怒，把他趕回自己的臥室。
第二部分
格裏高爾變了，養成了甲蟲的生活習性，卻保留了人的意識。他失業了，仍舊關心怎樣還清父親欠的債務，送妹妹上音樂學院。可是，一個月後，他成了全家的纍贅。父親、母親、妹妹對他改變了態度。
第三部分
為了生存，傢人衹得打工掙錢，忍受不了格裏高爾這個負擔。妹妹終於提出把哥哥弄走。格裏高爾又餓又病，陷入絶望，“他懷着深情和愛意想他的一傢人”，“然後他的頭就自己垂倒在地板上，他的鼻孔呼出了最後一絲氣息”，死了。父親、母親和妹妹開始過着自己養活自己的新生活。
情節的發展由兩條綫索交互展開：
格裏高爾：變成甲蟲——成為纍贅——絶望而死
傢裏親人：驚慌、同情—— 逐漸憎恨——“把他弄走”
格裏高爾自始至終關心家庭、懷戀親人，可是親人最終拋棄了他，對他的死無動於衷，而且决定去郊遊。
作者描寫這種人情反差，揭示了當時社會生活對人的異化，致使親情淡薄，人性扭麯。《變形記》的主題具有強烈的批判性。卡夫卡創作的文學作品的主題，不同的讀者從不同的角度，會有不同的體驗和理解。有人認為《變形記》的主題是：表現人對自己命運的無能為力，人失去自我就處於絶境。也有人認為，格裏高爾變成甲蟲，無利於人，自行死亡；一傢人重新工作，走嚮新生活；存在就是合理，生活規律是無情的。
《變形記》-人物和心理描寫
主人公格裏高爾是個小人物。父親破産，母親生病，妹妹上學。沉重的家庭
《變形記》《變形記》
負擔和父親的債務，壓得格裏高爾喘不過氣來。他拼命幹活，目的是還清父債，改善家庭生活。在公司，他受老闆的氣，指望還清父債後辭職。可以說，對父母他是個孝子，對妹妹他是個好哥哥，對公司他是個好職員。變成甲蟲，身體越來越差，他還為還清父債擔憂，還眷戀傢人，甚至為討父親歡心，自己艱難地乖乖爬回臥室。這樣善良、忠厚而又富有責任感的人，最終被親人拋棄。格裏高爾的悲劇是令人心酸的，具有豐富的社會內涵。
小說用心理描寫的方法刻畫格裏高爾這個人物。格裏高爾過去的生活、變甲蟲後的思想感情和個性特點，都是通過心理描寫表現出來的。
小說用許多筆墨寫了變形後格裏高爾悲哀凄苦的內心世界，格裏高爾雖然變成了甲蟲，但他的心理始終保持着人的狀態，他突然發現自己變成大甲蟲時的驚慌、憂鬱，他考慮家庭經濟狀況時的焦慮、自責，他遭親人厭棄後的絶望、痛苦，無不展示了一個善良、忠厚、富有責任感的小人物渴望人的理解和接受的心理。衹是這種願望終於被徹底的絶望所代替，彌漫在人物心頭的是無邊的孤獨、冷漠與悲涼。應該說，《變形記》的內在主綫就是格裏高爾變成甲蟲後的心理—情感流動的過程，主人公變成甲蟲後的內心感受和心理活動是小說的主體。小說用內心獨白、回憶、聯想、幻想等手法，去表現人物的心理活動。他不斷地回憶、聯想過去和今後的事情，不時由於恐懼焦慮、痛苦和絶望而産生幻想、幻覺，並且在自由聯想中經常出現時空倒錯、邏輯混亂、思維跳躍等，具有一定的意識流特徵。
《變形記》-評價
表現主義
卡夫卡的創作旺盛期正值德國表現主義文學運動的高潮時期。他的短篇小說《變形記》可以說是表現主義的典型之作。
表現主義的創作主張是遵循“表現論”美學原則而與傳統現實主義的“模仿論”原則相對立的。它反對“復製世界”，即不把客觀事物的表面現象作為真實的依據，而主張憑認真“觀察”和重新思考去發現或洞察被習俗觀念掩蓋着的，而為一般人所不註意的真實。為此就需要一種特殊的藝術手段，把描寫的客觀對象加以 “陌生化”的處理，以造成審美主體與被描寫的客體之間的距離，從而引起你的驚異，迫使你從另一個角度去探悉同一個事物的本質。這種藝術手段通稱“間離法”，在布萊希特那裏叫作“陌生化效果”。《變形記》的變形即是一種間離（或“陌生化”）技巧。作者想藉以揭示人與人之間——包括倫常之間——表面親親熱熱，內心裏卻是極為孤獨和陌生的實質；之所以親親熱熱，因為互相有共同的利害關係維係着，一旦割斷這種關係，則那種親熱的外觀馬上就消失而暴露出冷酷和冷漠的真相。正如恩格斯在《英國工人階級狀況》一文中所揭示的：“維係家庭的紐帶並不是家庭的愛，而是隱藏在財産共有關係之後的私人利益。”可謂一針見血。
當格裏高爾身體健康，每月能拿回工資供養全家的時候，他是這個家庭裏一名堂堂正正的而且受人尊敬的長子。但當他一旦患了不治之癥，失去了公司裏的職務，因而無法與家庭保持這種經濟聯繫的時候，他在家庭裏的一切尊嚴很快被剝奪幹淨，甚至連維持生命的正常飲食都無人過問。他變成“非人”，他的處境無異於動物。當然也可以讓主人公得一種致命的重病或遭遇一次喪失勞動力的重殘，然後寫他被傢人厭棄的過程。但這樣的構思其藝術效果不如變形那樣強烈。因為作為病人，他有口會說話，有眼睛會看人，你不能當着他的面表現出對他的厭倦，或不給他送飯吃。而一隻甲蟲，既不會說話，也沒有表情，他的孤獨感就更加令人感到凄然了——以上是從社會學觀點去看的。
如果從西方流行的“異化”觀念去看，這篇小說也是寫人與人之間、人與自我之間關係的一篇傑作。在實際生活中，卡夫卡在家庭裏與父親的關係確實是不和諧的，但與母親關係是正常的，與他第三個妹妹特別要好。但卡夫卡卻在一封信中說：“我在自己的傢裏比陌生人還要陌生。”現在卡夫卡通過《變形記》暗示我們：即使像他的妹妹那樣愛着哥哥，但一旦這位哥哥得了一種致命的絶癥，久而久之，她也會像小說中的那位女郎那樣厭棄他的。這裏，卡夫卡寫的是一種普遍的人類生存狀況。人的變形，也是自我“異化”的一種寫照。尤其是主人公變成甲蟲以後，人的習性漸漸消失，而“蟲性” 日益增加，仿佛格裏高爾異化出人的世界以後，倒是在動物的世界裏找到“蟲”的自我了。這樣的寫法是絶妙的。
在人與人之間還沒有取得和諧關係的世界裏，人的變形也是一種象徵，一切倒黴人的象徵：人一旦遭遇不幸（喪失工作能力的疾病、傷殘、政治襲擊等），他就不再被社會承認，從而失去作為人的價值的“自我”，成為無異於低等動物的“非人”。
在現代藝術創作中，變形是一種怪誕的表現手段，是一種創造 “距離”或“陌生化”的技巧。按照美國美學家桑塔那那的說法，怪誕也是一種創造；它違背客觀事物的表面真實，卻並不違背客觀事物的內在邏輯，因此它已進入現代美學的範疇，成為表現主義文學藝術偏愛的一種手法。表現主義文學創作強調從主觀的內心感受出發，作品往往具有一種個人的真實性，這在卡夫卡筆下呈現為自傳色彩。不僅主人公的身份（公司雇員）和心理（作為長子必須盡家庭義務）與作者近似，其他人物如父親、母親和妹妹幾乎都可以與卡夫卡的家庭成員進行比較。
內涵
《變形記》這個故事表面看來荒誕不經，實則藴涵了豐富而深刻的內容，主要包括以下方面：
1、首先，它真實地表現了西方現代資本主義社會裏人的異化.在西方現代資本主義社會人(例如金錢,機器,産品,生産方式等)所驅使，所脅迫，所統治而不能自主,成為物的奴隸，進而失去人的本性，變為非人.。《變形記》主人公裏高爾的故事正是人異化為非人這一哲學生存現狀.。
2、其次，作品還表現了在現代社會裏人的一種生存恐懼。人變甲蟲，在這裏象徵着莫明其妙的巨大災難的降臨，這種人不能掌握自己命運的感覺表現 了現代西方人的某種精神狀態，尤其是進入20世紀以後，兩次世界大戰的災難，周期性的經濟危機，超級大國的軍備競賽，核戰爭的威脅，環境污染和自然界生態平衡的破壞，這一切使人們對未來的命運處於一種不可知的恐懼狀態之中。《變形記》中格裏高爾的命運正反映了這種精神狀態本質的東西。
3、再次，《變形記》還表現了現代社會中人與人之間的冷漠關係。小說詳細的描寫了傢人對他從關心到厭惡到必欲置其於死地的過程，這一過程實際上是希望他恢復賺錢的能力到徹底絶望的過程。這是一個為家庭奉獻了一切，卻由於失去了原有的價值而被家庭拋棄的小人物的悲劇，這類悲劇在人情冷漠的現代社會裏並不罕見。
作品創造的藝術世界，涵蓋思想內容和藝術形式兩個方面，是內容和形式的有機統一。就思想而言，較為麯折地反映了資本主義社會的種種弊端，將荒唐、人性異化看着特定歷史條件下人類社會不可避免的現象，賦予作品以濃厚的虛無主義和悲觀主義情調;就藝術而言,善於運用怪誕和象徵的表現手法，特別是用富有表現力的手法去表現抽象的思想感情。
受存在主義學說的影響，作品深刻反映了世紀末情緒，表現了人的孤獨與恐懼，展示在人們面前的是荒誕的世界和異化的主題, 形成了獨持的“卡夫卡式”藝術風格和思想內容。特別是卡夫卡對表現主義手法運用自如,達到登峰造極之境界。其作品往往寓荒誕於真實之中，融幻想和怪誕於一體，或描寫人與“非人”的人有機碰撞;或執著於精神層面的不可逾越，真理的不可尋求，或寄寓象徵形象的塑造來展現人物的痛苦和睏惑等等，構建了“卡夫卡式”藝術風格的美學概念。
《變形記》-世人心中的卡夫卡與《變形記》
卡夫卡是現代主義文學的開山祖師，《變形記》是他的代表作品之一。如果你想瞭解現代主義文學，最好的辦法就是從反復閱讀《變形記》開始。
在本書中卡夫卡描述了小職員格裏高爾·薩姆沙突然變成一隻使傢人都厭惡的大甲蟲的荒誕情節，藉以揭示人與人之間--包括倫常之間--表面上親親熱熱，內心裏卻極為孤獨和陌生的實質，生動而深刻地再現了資本主義社會中人與人之間的冷漠。在荒誕的、不合邏輯的世界裏描繪"人類生活的一切活動及其逼真的細節"，這正是著名小說傢卡夫卡的天賦之所在。
閱讀《變形記》，有一種思維的樂趣，有一種睿智的感覺，思想上的所得顯然多於心靈的收穫，能從那極度的變形與誇張裏體會到生命的悸動與衝突。本書比較完整地代表了卡夫卡的思想深度與創造特點，是西方現代主義文學的經典作品之一。
卡夫卡的《變形記》把我們帶往不熟悉的另一世界，而其實，那另一世界原本屬於我們的人性之邦，衹是卡夫卡試圖用另一套敘述方式與技巧來展示我們人性內部的黑暗王國。因為我們平時不朝它看上一眼，初見之下，纔會感到它是如此的陌生、怪異和難以理解。
在描寫人被物化的作品中，奧地利著名的"現代藝術的探險者"卡夫卡１９１２年完成的中篇小說《變形記》，是西方現代派文學中描寫人被異化的傑作。
《影響歷史進程的一百本書》：
西方文壇推崇"卡夫卡是本世紀最佳作傢之一"，並說"如果要舉出一個作傢，他與我們時代的關係最近似但丁、莎士比亞、歌德與他們時代的關係，那麽，卡夫卡是首先會想到的名字"。儘管這些贊詞未免有過甚其詞之嫌，但以《變形記》為代表的卡夫卡的作品，的確對西方現代派文學産生了很深的影響，以至形成了一門專門研究和討論其作品的"卡夫卡學"。
《卡夫卡傳》：
如果你讀書是為了找樂趕時髦，卡夫卡的《變形記》絶對不適合你，不適合你美酒加咖啡的浪漫。書中荒誕的痛苦，會將你剛剛舉起的酒杯輕易擊碎。如果你不是一個盲目的樂觀主義者，此書可謂精彩至極，可反復閱讀、細細品味。
陌生的卡夫卡
什麽是好小說這是個永遠可以談論卻又永遠難以求解的問題。但好小說不一定是好看的小說，不一定適合大衆讀者的閱讀口味，因為好小說都是新鮮的、獨特的。它在與傳統閱讀習慣"對抗"過程中提供了新的藝術因素，使習慣於傳統閱讀的讀者不得不陷入難解之謎的深淵，所以也往往給人們留下了不怎麽好看的印象。閱讀卡夫卡的《變形記》，對讀者是一種智力、情感上的挑戰，因為他的作品是文學上的一個變數，很陌生，用傳統的閱讀方法很難解讀。
《變形記》超越時空的限製，對事件的交代極其模糊，不指明具體的時間、地點和背景。甚至泯滅了幻象和日常生活之間的界限，虛幻與現實難解難分地結合成一個整體了。看來，卡夫卡的《變形記》把我們帶往不熟悉的另一世界，而其實，那另一世界原本屬於我們的人性之邦，衹是卡夫卡試圖用另一套敘述方式與技巧來展示我們人性內部的黑暗王國。因為我們平時不朝它看上一眼，初見之下，纔會感到它是如此的陌生、怪異和難以理解。
捷剋作傢米蘭·昆德拉在《小說的藝術》中稱小說傢為"存在的勘探者"，而把小說的使命確定為"通過想像的人物對存在進行深思"，"揭示存在不為人知的方面"。卡夫卡的《變形記》就是探究存在之謎的，但他所關註的重點是"不可視的內心生活"--人的內心同樣作為現實的一部分而存在。他的《變形記》就是以深邃的寓意體現人類的某種常常被遺忘的存在狀態。
卡夫卡的小說是"夢與真實的絶妙混合。既有對現代世界最清醒的審視，又有最瘋狂的想像"。所以如果我們聯想一下現實生活中類似的事情，當我們自身的存在被一些誰也無法預料、無法逃避的境況所决定時，生活的荒誕與這個故事的荒誕就有了一種比擬的聯繫，那麽擺在我們面前的問題就尖銳了：當我們突然無法動彈，在完全無能為力，喪失了人的一切自主性的情況下，我們應該怎麽辦卡夫卡的小說帶出了我們深深的疑問。顯然，在如此荒誕的突變中，卡夫卡敏銳地覺察到現實生活某些帶本質性的問題，纔用這種象徵、誇張甚至荒誕的手法加以表現。
卡夫卡冷峻的眼光聚焦的是"真"。在他看來，"真"若要體現，就必須藉助於""。於是《變形記》中出現了大量的醜陋的意象，卡夫卡毫不客氣地放逐了文學的審美價值，似乎他覺得醜就是醜，甚至根本沒必要用美作為小說結束之前的一點安慰。所以，一直到小說的結尾，卡夫卡也沒有讓這些醜陋的意象從背面發出一點美的光芒。
最後引用一句王小波的話來結束本文，他說："我正等待着有一天，自己能夠打開一本書不再期待它有趣，衹期待自己能受到教育。"《變形記》就是一本這樣的好書。
在西方文學中我學到了卡夫卡這位作傢及他的作品，對於卡夫卡，我不是很熟悉，但他諸多成果中的一部《變形記》卻讓我難以忘懷。
《變形記》為現代主義文學的奠基之作，卡夫卡是現代主義文學的先驅，對後來現代主義文學的發展産生了深遠的影響。卡夫卡的創作旺盛期正值德國表現主義文學運動的高潮時期。他的短篇小說《變形記》可以說是表現主義的典型之作。1998 年，英國BBC廣播電臺作了一個係列節目，回顧20世紀的藝術經典，介紹100部20世紀最有影響的藝術作品，第一集就是關於卡夫卡的《變形記》。變形似乎一直是人類的一種理想，也是文學、影視作品中的經典題材，我小時便羨慕孫悟空的七十二變，今天的孩子也看着變形金剛一類的動畫片中威風凜凜的變形動作興奮不已，而且百看不厭。變形似乎是童話的專利。但卡夫卡的《變形記》卻是極為獨特的，格裏高爾也變形了，但他似乎變得並不輕鬆，讓我們讀起來也並不覺得興奮，卡夫卡究竟想要告訴我們什麽？
“一天早晨，格裏高爾。薩姆沙從不安的睡夢中醒來，發現自己躺在床上變成了一隻巨大的甲蟲。”（選自北京燕山出版社中篇小說集《變形記》中第86頁）這便是故事的開篇，我本以為是科幻小說，誰知道不是。卡夫卡用一種介呼於身臨其境的獨白，平靜的表敘着這個極盡荒誕的故事。但在他的筆下，不會有荒誕，有的衹是真實，讓人感覺恐慌的真實。一種新的寫法的誕生，讓後世不少人為之驚詫，“原來文學也可以這麽寫！”。又一位大師就這樣橫空出世了。記得美國作傢奧登說過：就作傢與其處的時代的關係而論，當代能與但丁、莎士比亞和歌德相提並論的第一人是卡夫卡。
表現主義的創作主張是遵循“表現論”美學原則而與傳統現實主義的“模仿論”原則相對立的。它反對“復製世界”，即不把客觀事物的表面現象作為真實的依據，而主張憑認真“觀察”和重新思考去發現或洞察被習俗觀念掩蓋着的，而為一般人所不註意的真實。為此就需要一種特殊的藝術手段，把描寫的客觀對象加以“陌生化”的處理，以造成審美主體與被描寫的客體之間的距離，從而引起你的驚異，迫使你從另一個角度去探悉同一個事物的本質。這種藝術手段通稱“間離法”，在布萊希特那裏叫作“陌生化效果”。《變形記》的變形即是一種間離（或“陌生化”）技巧。作者想藉以揭示人與人之間——包括倫常之間——表面親親熱熱，內心裏卻是極為孤獨和陌生的實質；之所以親親熱熱，因為互相有共同的利害關係維係着，一旦割斷這種關係，則那種親熱的外觀馬上就消失而暴露出冷酷和冷漠的真相。正如恩格斯在《英國工人階級狀況》一文中所揭示的：“維係家庭的紐帶並不是家庭的愛，而是隱藏在財産共有關係之後的私人利益。”可謂一針見血。你看，當格裏高爾身體健康，每月能拿回工資供養全家的時候，他是這個家庭裏一名堂堂正正的而且受人尊敬的長子。
但當他一旦患了不治之癥，失去了公司裏的職務，因而無法與家庭保持這種經濟聯繫的時候，他在家庭裏的一切尊嚴很快被剝奪幹淨，甚至連維持生命的正常飲食都無人過問。
他變成“非人”，他的處境無異於動物。當然也可以讓主人公得一種致命的重病或遭遇一次喪失勞動力的重殘，然後寫他被傢人厭棄的過程。但這樣的構思其藝術效果不如變形那樣強烈。因為作為病人，他有口會說話，有眼睛會看人，你不能當着他的面表現出對他的厭倦，或不給他送飯吃。而一隻甲蟲，既不會說話，也沒有表情，他的孤獨感就更加令人感到凄然了。
如果從西方流行的“異化”觀念去看，這篇小說也是寫人與人之間、人與自我之間關係的一篇傑作。在實際生活中，卡夫卡在家庭裏與父親的關係確實是不和諧的，但與母親關係是正常的，與他第三個妹妹特別要好。但卡夫卡卻在一封信中說：“我在自己的傢裏比陌生人還要陌生。”現在卡夫卡通過《變形記》暗示我們：即使像他的妹妹那樣愛着哥哥，但一旦這位哥哥得了一種致命的絶癥，久而久之，她也會像小說中的那位女郎那樣厭棄他的。這裏，卡夫卡寫的是一種普遍的人類生存狀況。人的變形，也是自我“異化”的一種寫照。尤其是主人公變成甲蟲以後，人的習性漸漸消失，而“蟲性”
日益增加，仿佛格裏高爾異化出人的世界以後，倒是在動物的世界裏找到“蟲”的自我了。這樣的寫法是絶妙的。
“格裏高爾的眼睛接着又朝窗口望去，天空很陰暗——可以聽到雨打點打在窗檻上的聲音——他的心情也變的很憂鬱了。”
“這時候天更亮了，可以清清楚楚地看到街對面一幢長得沒有盡頭的深灰色的建築——這是一所醫院——上面惹眼地開着一排排呆板的窗子；雨還在下，不過已成為一滴滴看得清的大顆粒了。”（以上均節選自《變形記》）。
上面的兩段都是對窗外景物的描寫，卡夫卡在輕易之間便把氣氛渲染的如此濃重。為主旋律的敘述又增加的完整的節拍。仿佛各個方面的特徵都是為了主題的烘托，而主題又毫無痕跡的呈現出各個方面的特徵。這種完美統一的連貫，使得文章讓人覺得如此的酣暢淋漓，故事好象就在自己的身邊發生，讓人欲罷不能。
1911年出現的《變形記》是晦澀的，深奧的，即使在近一百年後的今天，這個偉大的預言一樣的小說文本也並不是那麽容易理解。即使讀懂了這個寓言般的小說，又如何感知卡夫卡之所以悲哀呢？況且還有比悲哀更為深遠的東西包裹在其後。
Plot summary
Gregor Samsa awakes one morning to find himself inexplicably transformed from a human into a monstrous insect. Rather than lament his transformation, Gregor worries about how he will get to his job as a traveling salesman; Gregor is the sole financial provider for his parents and sister, Grete, and their comfort is dependent on his ability to work. When Gregor's supervisor arrives at the house and demands Gregor come out of his room, Gregor manages to roll out of bed and unlock his door. His appearance horrifies his family and supervisor; his supervisor flees and Gregor attempts to chase after him, but his family shoos him back into his room. Grete attempts to care for her brother by providing him with milk and the stale, rotten food he now prefers. Gregor also develops the fears of an insect, being effectively shooed away by hissing voices and stamping feet. However, Gregor remains a devoted and loving son, and takes to hiding beneath a sofa whenever someone enters his room in order to shield them from his insect form. When alone, he amuses himself by looking out of his window and crawling up the walls and on the ceiling.
No longer able to rely on Gregor's income, the other family members are forced to take on jobs and Grete's caretaking deteriorates. One day, when Gregor emerges from his room, his father chases him around the dining room table and pelts him with apples. One of the apples becomes embedded in his back, causing an infection. Due to his infection and his hunger, Gregor is soon barely able to move at all. Later, his parents take in lodgers and use Gregor's room as a dumping area for unwanted objects. Gregor becomes dirty, covered in dust and old bits of rotten food. One day, Gregor hears Grete playing her violin to entertain the lodgers. Gregor is attracted to the music, and slowly walks into the dining room despite himself, entertaining a fantasy of getting his beloved sister to join him in his room and play her violin for him. The lodgers see him and give notice, refusing to pay the rent they owe, even threatening to sue the family for harboring him while they stayed there. Grete determines that the monstrous insect is no longer Gregor, since Gregor would have left them out of love and taken their burden away, and claims that they must get rid of it. Gregor retreats to his room and collapses, finally succumbing to his wound.
The point of view shifts as, upon discovery of his corpse, the family feels an enormous burden has been lifted from them, and start planning for the future again. The family discovers that they aren't doing financially bad at all, especially since, following Gregor's demise, they can take a smaller flat. The brief process of forgetting Gregor and shutting him from their lives is quickly completed. The tale concludes with the mother and father taking note of Grete's new womanhood and growth.
Characters
Gregor Samsa
Gregor is the protagonist of the story. He works hard as a travelling salesman to provide for his sister and parents. He wakes up one morning as a monstrous insect. After the transformation, Gregor was unable to work, causing his father to work at a bank to provide for the family and pay owed debts.
Grete Samsa
Grete is Gregor's younger sister, who becomes his caretaker after the metamorphosis. At the beginning Grete and Gregor have a strong relationship but this relationship fades with time. While Grete originally volunteers to feed him and clean his room, throughout the story she grows more and more impatient with the task to the point of deliberately leaving messes in his room out of spite. She plays the violin and dreams of going to the conservatorium, a dream that Gregor was going to make come true. He was going to announce this on Christmas Eve. To help provide an income for the family after Gregor's transformation she starts working as a salesgirl in a shop.
Mr Samsa
Gregor's father owes a large debt to Gregor's boss, which is why Gregor can't quit his hated job. He is lazy and elderly, while Gregor works, but when, after the metamorphosis, Gregor is unable to provide for the family, he is shown to be an able-bodied worker. He also attempts to kill Gregor when he is discovered in his monstrous state.
Mrs Samsa
Mrs Samsa is the mother of Grete and Gregor. She is initially shocked at Gregor's transformation, however eventually decides she wants to enter his room. This seems too much for her to handle, and Gregor hides away from her in an attempt to protect her. Mrs Samsa is conflicted in her maternal concern and sympathy for Gregor, and her inherent fear of his new monstrous form.
Chief Clerk
The Chief Clerk is Gregor's boss and the person to whom Mr Samsa is in debt. He pressures Gregor to prepare for his workday with a urgency pertaining to the precarious position of his job.
Tenants
Three tenants are invited to live with the Samsas to supplement their income. The family shows great deference to these tenants throughout the length of their stay. They are fussy and cannot stand dirtiness, eventually leading to the point when they discover Gregor and threaten the family with a lawsuit, apparently believing he's just an extraordinarily large insect.
Lost in translation
The opening sentence of the novella is famous in English:
"When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from uneasy dreams, he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous insect."
"Als Gregor Samsa eines Morgens aus unruhigen Träumen erwachte, fand er sich in seinem Bett zu einem ungeheueren Ungeziefer verwandelt."
Kafka's sentences often deliver an unexpected impact just before the full stop—that being the finalizing meaning and focus. This is achieved due to the construction of sentences in German that require that the participle be positioned at the end of the sentence; in the above sentence, the equivalent of 'changed' is the final word, 'verwandelt'. Such constructions are not replicable in English, so it is up to the translator to provide the reader with the same effect found in the original text.
English translators have often sought to render the word Ungeziefer as "insect", but this is not strictly accurate. In Middle German, Ungeziefer literally means "unclean animal not suitable for sacrifice" and is sometimes used colloquially to mean "bug" – a very general term, unlike the scientific sounding "insect". Kafka had no intention of labeling Gregor as any specific thing, but instead wanted to convey Gregor's disgust at his transformation. The phrasing used in the David Wyllie translation and Joachim Neugroschel is "transformed in his bed into a monstrous vermin".
However, "vermin" denotes in English many animals (particularly mice, rats and foxes) and in Kafka's letter to his publisher of 25 October 1915, in which he discusses his concern about the cover illustration for the first edition, he uses the term "Insekt", saying "The insect itself is not to be drawn. It is not even to be seen from a distance." While this shows his concern not to give precise information about the type of creature Gregor becomes, the use of the general term "insect" can therefore be defended on the part of translators wishing to improve the readability of the end text.
Ungeziefer has sometimes been translated as "cockroach", "dung beetle", "beetle", and other highly specific terms. The term "dung beetle" or Mistkäfer is in fact used in the novella by the cleaning lady near the end of the story, but it is not used in the narration. Ungeziefer also denotes a sense of separation between him and his environment: he is unclean and must therefore be excluded.
Vladimir Nabokov, who was a lepidopterist as well as writer and literary critic, insisted that Gregor was not a cockroach, but a beetle with wings under his shell, and capable of flight — if only he had known it. Nabokov left a sketch annotated "just over three feet long" on the opening page of his (heavily corrected) English teaching copy. In his accompanying lecture notes, Nabokov discusses the type of vermin Gregor has been transformed into, concluding that Gregor "is not, technically, a dung beetle. He is merely a big beetle. (I must add that neither Gregor nor Kafka saw that beetle any too clearly.)"
Adaptations to other media
There are several film versions, including:
* Metamorphosis (1987) at the Internet Movie Database
* Die Verwandlung (1975) at the Internet Movie Database
* Förvandlingen (1976/I) at the Internet Movie Database
* The Metamorphosis of Mr. Samsa (1977) at the Internet Movie Database by Caroline Leaf
* The Metamorphosis of Franz Kafka (1993) by Carlos Atanes.
* Prevrashcheniye (2002) at the Internet Movie Database
* Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis acoustical liberation from LibriVox.
* Metamorfosis (2004) at the Internet Movie Database
* A Metamorfose (2007) at the Internet Movie Database
* Immersive Kafka: The Metamorphosis / Atvaltozas (2010) by Sandor Kardos, Barnabas Takacs.
A stage adaptation was performed by Steven Berkoff in 1969. Berkoff's text was also used for the libretto to Brian Howard's 1983 opera Metamorphosis. Another stage adaptation was performed in 2006 by the Icelandic company Vesturport, showing at the Lyric Hammersmith, London. That adaptation is set to be performed in the Icelandic theater fall of 2008. Another stage adaptation was performed in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2005 by the Centre for Asian Theatre. That performance is still continuing in Bangladesh. The Lyric Theatre Company toured the UK in 2006 with its stage adaptation of Metamorphosis, accompanied by a unique soundtrack performed by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. American comic artist Peter Kuper illustrated a graphic-novel version, first published by the Crown Publishing Group in 2003. Megan Rees is currently working on a new stage adaptation that should be published by 2010.
Allusions/references from other works
Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (February 2008)
Stage
* Philip Glass composed incidental music for two separate theater productions of the story. These two themes, along with two themes from the Errol Morris film The Thin Blue Line, were incorporated into a five-part piece of music for solo piano entitled Metamorphosis.
Literature
Jacob M. Appel's H. E. Francis Award-winning story, "The Vermin Episode," retells The Metamorphosis from the point-of-view of the Samsas' neighbors.
Film
* The 2005 film The Producers includes a scene where the two protagonists are searching for a sure flop. The opening for the play of Metamorphosis is read and rejected for being too good.
* The 2008 film The Reader features Ralph Fiennes reading aloud from Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis.
* In 2002 a Russian version titled Prevrashchenie was directed by Valery Fokin with Yevgeny Mironov as Gregor.
* In 1995, the actor Peter Capaldi won an Oscar for his short-film Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life. The plot of the film has the author (played by Richard E. Grant) trying to write the opening line of Metamorphosis and experimenting with various things that Gregor might turn into, such as a banana or a kangaroo. The film is also notable for a number of Kafkaesque moments.
* In 1993 Carlos Atanes directed The Metamorphosis of Franz Kafka, a controversial adaptation based on The Metamorphosis as well on biographical details from Kafka's family.
* in Noah Baumbach's Squid and the Whale, Jeff Daniels and Jesse Eisenberg make several references to The Metamorphosis
Animation
* In The Venture Bros. episode "Mid-Life Chrysalis", Dr. Venture's transformation into a caterpillar slightly mirrors that of Gregor Samsa's transformation.
* A reference appears in the 2006 Aardman Animations feature film Flushed Away when a refrigerator falls through the floor of the protagonist Rita's home and a giant cockroach appears reading a copy of The Metamorphosis.
* In the short-lived TV animated series Extreme Ghostbusters, season 1, episode 11 ("The Crawler"), the bug monster (that resembles a giant insect) calls himself Gregor Samsa when trying to seduce Janine to be his queen in his human form.
* Jack Feldstein created a tribute to Gregor Samsa and The Metamorphosis in his stream-of-consciousness neon animation "Shmetamorphosis" about a bug who hysterically bursts into therapist Bertold Krasenstein's office, begging to be saved.
* In the first season of the anime Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei there is an episode titled "One Morning, When Gregor Samsa Awoke, He was Carrying a Mikoshi", an obvious parody of the first line of The Metamorphosis.
Comics
* American cartoonist Robert Crumb drew an illustrated adaptation of the novella which appears in the book Introducing Kafka.
* In the comic book Johnny the Homicidal Maniac by Jhonen Vasquez, the eponymous Johnny is plagued by a roach that keeps appearing in his house no matter how many times he kills it (whether or not this roach is immortal or simply many different roaches is up to interpretation) and is affectionately named "Mr. Samsa".
* In The Simpsons book Treehouse of Horror Spook-tacular, Matt Groening did a spoof on the metamorphosis, entitling it Metamorphosimpsons. In addition, in one of the episodes, Lisa attends a place called "Cafe Kafka", which is shown to be a popular place for college students, and features several posters of cockroaches in Bohemian-like poses.
* Peter Kuper (illustrator of Kafka's Give It Up!) also adapted Kafka's Metamorphosis.
Television
* In the TV series Supernatural, the 4th episode of season 4 is named "Metamorphosis."
* The TV series Smallville, which is a retelling of Superman's early years as a teenager, alludes to Kafka's story in the season one, episode "Metamorphosis" where the 'Freak of the Week' is transformed into a being with insect-like abilities after suffering from exposure to meteor-infected insects (Kryptonite-induced).
* In the TV series Home Movies there is an entire episode based on Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis as a Rock Opera.
* In the TV series The Venture Bros., in the 8th episode of season 1, Dr. Venture undergoes a metamorphosis and alludes to the story.
* In the TV series The Ricky Gervais Show, in the 11th episode of season 1, named "Beetles," the characters discuss the potential of Karl Pilkingtons's metamorphosis.
Music
* Gregor Samsa is the name of an American post-rock band.
* The Rolling Stones' 1975 album Metamorphosis features cover art of the band members with insect heads.
* Showbread has a song named "Sampsa Meets Kafka". The misspelling of Samsa is intentional. Josh Dies the lead singer also lists Kafka as one of his biggest influences.
* The name of the German darkwave/metal/neoclassical band Samsas Traum is inspired by the story.
Video games
* Bad Mojo is a 1996 computer game, the storyline of which is loosely based on The Metamorphosis.
* Spore: Galactic Adventures made an adventure version of The Metamorphosis.
* In the 2001 Wizardry 8, the first boss is a gigantic cockroach named "Gregor".
《變形記》-作者簡介
弗蘭茲·卡夫卡弗蘭茲·卡夫卡
弗蘭茲·卡夫卡（Franz Kafka，1883年7月3日—1924年6月3日），奧地利小說傢，20世紀德語小說傢。文筆明淨而想像奇詭，常采用寓言體,背後的寓意人言人殊，暫無（或永無）定論。
卡夫卡他是一位用德語寫作的業餘作傢，他與法國作傢馬賽爾·普魯斯特，愛爾蘭作傢詹姆斯·喬伊斯並稱為西方現代主義文學的先驅和大師。卡夫卡生前默默無聞，孤獨地奮鬥，隨着時間的流逝，他的價值纔逐漸為人們所認識，作品引起了世界的震動，並在世界範圍內形成一股“卡夫卡”熱，經久不衰。
後世的批評傢，往往過分強調卡夫卡作品陰暗的一面，忽視其明朗、風趣的地方，米蘭·昆德拉在《被背叛的遺囑》（Les testaments trahis）中試圖糾正這一點。其實據布勞德的回憶，卡夫卡喜歡在朋友面前朗讀自己的作品，讀到得意的段落時會忍俊不禁，自己大笑起來。
卡夫卡一生的作品並不多，但對後世文學的影響卻是極為深遠的。美國詩人奧登認為：“他與我們時代的關係最近似但丁、莎士比亞、歌德與他們時代的關係。”卡夫卡的小說揭示了一種荒誕的充滿非理性色彩的景象，個人式的、憂鬱的、孤獨的情緒，運用的是象徵式的手法。三四十年代的超現實主義餘黨視之為同仁，四五十年代的荒誕派以之為先驅，六十年代的美國”黑色幽默“奉之為典範。
卡夫卡1909年開始發表作品，1915年因短篇小說《司爐工》獲馮塔納德國文學奬金。卡夫卡創作勤奮，但並不以發表、成名為目的。工作之餘的創作是他寄托思想感情和排譴憂鬱苦悶的手段。許多作品隨意寫來，並無結尾，他對自己的作品也多為不滿，臨終前讓摯友布洛德全部燒毀其作品。布洛德出於友誼與崇敬之情，違背了卡夫卡遺願，整理出版了《卡夫卡全集》（1950—1980）共九捲。其中八捲中的作品是首次刊出，引起文壇轟動。
《變形記》-內容簡介
背景
1914年至1918年的第一次世界大戰，使許多資本主義國傢經濟蕭條，社會動蕩，人民生活在水深火熱之中。黑暗的現實，痛苦的生活，使得人們對資本主義社會失去信心，一方面尋求出路，銳意改革，一方面又陷於孤獨、頽廢、絶望之中。19世紀末至20世紀初，一些思想敏銳的藝術傢認為世界是混亂的、荒誕的，他們著書立說，批判資本主義的人際關係，批判摧殘人性的社會制度。第一次世界大戰前後和第二次世界大戰前後，現代主義文學應運而生。現代主義文學作品反映了資本主義社會的黑暗，人和人之間關係的冷酷，人對社會的絶望。藝術上強調使用極度誇張以至怪誕離奇的表現手法，描繪扭麯的人性，表現人的本能和無意識的主觀感受，開掘個人的直覺、本能、無意識、夢幻、變態心理以至半瘋狂、瘋狂的言行、心理。現代主義的優秀文學作品探索人的心靈，為揭示人的內心世界提供了新的藝術手法。
內容
小說寫人變成動物,故事神秘離奇：在《變形記》中，職業為推銷員的主人翁一覺醒來，發現自己變成了一隻巨大的跳蚤。
一天早晨,格裏高爾從夢中醒來時發現自己躺在床上變成了一隻巨大的甲蟲,全身長出了許多衹細得可憐的小腿,堅硬得像鐵甲一樣的背貼着床而仰臥着,不能翻身,也下不了床. 但他必須起來。他要靜悄悄不受打擾地起床,穿起衣服,最要緊的是吃飽早飯,再考慮下一步該怎麽辦,因為他非常明白,躲在床上瞎想一氣是想不出什麽明堂的. 他還記得過去也是因為睡覺姿勢不好,躺在床上時往往會覺得這兒那兒隱隱作痛,及至起來,就知道純屬心理作用,所以他殷切地盼望今天早晨的幻覺會逐漸消逝。格裏高爾,雖然人己'物化'為蟲子,但他還存在人的思維,還要象正常人一樣生活和思考.由於擔心趕不上五點鐘的火車.格裏高爾心情既焦急又恐慌,又生怕公司來人,自己這種面目如何見人!他竭力掙紮。 格裏高爾慢慢地把椅子推嚮門邊,接着便放開椅子,抓住門來支撐自己——他那些細腿的腳底上倒是頗有粘性的。他在門上靠了一會兒,喘過一口氣來.接着他始用嘴巴轉動插在鎖孔裏的鑰匙.不幸的是,他並沒什麽牙齒。他得用什麽來咬住鑰匙呢 ？鑰匙需要轉動時,他便用嘴巴銜住它,自己也繞着鎖孔轉了一圈,好把鑰匙扭過去,或者不如說,使用全身的重量使它轉動.終於屈服的鎖發出了響亮的咔塔一聲,使格裏高爾大為高興··· ···
《變形記》-情節和主題
《變形記》創作於1912年，發表於1915年。小說分成三部分，用一、二、三標明。課文節選了原小說的一半內容。
第一部分
格裏高爾發現自己變成“巨大的甲蟲”，驚慌而又憂鬱。父親發現後大怒，把他趕回自己的臥室。
第二部分
格裏高爾變了，養成了甲蟲的生活習性，卻保留了人的意識。他失業了，仍舊關心怎樣還清父親欠的債務，送妹妹上音樂學院。可是，一個月後，他成了全家的纍贅。父親、母親、妹妹對他改變了態度。
第三部分
為了生存，傢人衹得打工掙錢，忍受不了格裏高爾這個負擔。妹妹終於提出把哥哥弄走。格裏高爾又餓又病，陷入絶望，“他懷着深情和愛意想他的一傢人”，“然後他的頭就自己垂倒在地板上，他的鼻孔呼出了最後一絲氣息”，死了。父親、母親和妹妹開始過着自己養活自己的新生活。
情節的發展由兩條綫索交互展開：
格裏高爾：變成甲蟲——成為纍贅——絶望而死
傢裏親人：驚慌、同情—— 逐漸憎恨——“把他弄走”
格裏高爾自始至終關心家庭、懷戀親人，可是親人最終拋棄了他，對他的死無動於衷，而且决定去郊遊。
作者描寫這種人情反差，揭示了當時社會生活對人的異化，致使親情淡薄，人性扭麯。《變形記》的主題具有強烈的批判性。卡夫卡創作的文學作品的主題，不同的讀者從不同的角度，會有不同的體驗和理解。有人認為《變形記》的主題是：表現人對自己命運的無能為力，人失去自我就處於絶境。也有人認為，格裏高爾變成甲蟲，無利於人，自行死亡；一傢人重新工作，走嚮新生活；存在就是合理，生活規律是無情的。
《變形記》-人物和心理描寫
主人公格裏高爾是個小人物。父親破産，母親生病，妹妹上學。沉重的家庭
《變形記》《變形記》
負擔和父親的債務，壓得格裏高爾喘不過氣來。他拼命幹活，目的是還清父債，改善家庭生活。在公司，他受老闆的氣，指望還清父債後辭職。可以說，對父母他是個孝子，對妹妹他是個好哥哥，對公司他是個好職員。變成甲蟲，身體越來越差，他還為還清父債擔憂，還眷戀傢人，甚至為討父親歡心，自己艱難地乖乖爬回臥室。這樣善良、忠厚而又富有責任感的人，最終被親人拋棄。格裏高爾的悲劇是令人心酸的，具有豐富的社會內涵。
小說用心理描寫的方法刻畫格裏高爾這個人物。格裏高爾過去的生活、變甲蟲後的思想感情和個性特點，都是通過心理描寫表現出來的。
小說用許多筆墨寫了變形後格裏高爾悲哀凄苦的內心世界，格裏高爾雖然變成了甲蟲，但他的心理始終保持着人的狀態，他突然發現自己變成大甲蟲時的驚慌、憂鬱，他考慮家庭經濟狀況時的焦慮、自責，他遭親人厭棄後的絶望、痛苦，無不展示了一個善良、忠厚、富有責任感的小人物渴望人的理解和接受的心理。衹是這種願望終於被徹底的絶望所代替，彌漫在人物心頭的是無邊的孤獨、冷漠與悲涼。應該說，《變形記》的內在主綫就是格裏高爾變成甲蟲後的心理—情感流動的過程，主人公變成甲蟲後的內心感受和心理活動是小說的主體。小說用內心獨白、回憶、聯想、幻想等手法，去表現人物的心理活動。他不斷地回憶、聯想過去和今後的事情，不時由於恐懼焦慮、痛苦和絶望而産生幻想、幻覺，並且在自由聯想中經常出現時空倒錯、邏輯混亂、思維跳躍等，具有一定的意識流特徵。
《變形記》-評價
表現主義
卡夫卡的創作旺盛期正值德國表現主義文學運動的高潮時期。他的短篇小說《變形記》可以說是表現主義的典型之作。
表現主義的創作主張是遵循“表現論”美學原則而與傳統現實主義的“模仿論”原則相對立的。它反對“復製世界”，即不把客觀事物的表面現象作為真實的依據，而主張憑認真“觀察”和重新思考去發現或洞察被習俗觀念掩蓋着的，而為一般人所不註意的真實。為此就需要一種特殊的藝術手段，把描寫的客觀對象加以 “陌生化”的處理，以造成審美主體與被描寫的客體之間的距離，從而引起你的驚異，迫使你從另一個角度去探悉同一個事物的本質。這種藝術手段通稱“間離法”，在布萊希特那裏叫作“陌生化效果”。《變形記》的變形即是一種間離（或“陌生化”）技巧。作者想藉以揭示人與人之間——包括倫常之間——表面親親熱熱，內心裏卻是極為孤獨和陌生的實質；之所以親親熱熱，因為互相有共同的利害關係維係着，一旦割斷這種關係，則那種親熱的外觀馬上就消失而暴露出冷酷和冷漠的真相。正如恩格斯在《英國工人階級狀況》一文中所揭示的：“維係家庭的紐帶並不是家庭的愛，而是隱藏在財産共有關係之後的私人利益。”可謂一針見血。
當格裏高爾身體健康，每月能拿回工資供養全家的時候，他是這個家庭裏一名堂堂正正的而且受人尊敬的長子。但當他一旦患了不治之癥，失去了公司裏的職務，因而無法與家庭保持這種經濟聯繫的時候，他在家庭裏的一切尊嚴很快被剝奪幹淨，甚至連維持生命的正常飲食都無人過問。他變成“非人”，他的處境無異於動物。當然也可以讓主人公得一種致命的重病或遭遇一次喪失勞動力的重殘，然後寫他被傢人厭棄的過程。但這樣的構思其藝術效果不如變形那樣強烈。因為作為病人，他有口會說話，有眼睛會看人，你不能當着他的面表現出對他的厭倦，或不給他送飯吃。而一隻甲蟲，既不會說話，也沒有表情，他的孤獨感就更加令人感到凄然了——以上是從社會學觀點去看的。
如果從西方流行的“異化”觀念去看，這篇小說也是寫人與人之間、人與自我之間關係的一篇傑作。在實際生活中，卡夫卡在家庭裏與父親的關係確實是不和諧的，但與母親關係是正常的，與他第三個妹妹特別要好。但卡夫卡卻在一封信中說：“我在自己的傢裏比陌生人還要陌生。”現在卡夫卡通過《變形記》暗示我們：即使像他的妹妹那樣愛着哥哥，但一旦這位哥哥得了一種致命的絶癥，久而久之，她也會像小說中的那位女郎那樣厭棄他的。這裏，卡夫卡寫的是一種普遍的人類生存狀況。人的變形，也是自我“異化”的一種寫照。尤其是主人公變成甲蟲以後，人的習性漸漸消失，而“蟲性” 日益增加，仿佛格裏高爾異化出人的世界以後，倒是在動物的世界裏找到“蟲”的自我了。這樣的寫法是絶妙的。
在人與人之間還沒有取得和諧關係的世界裏，人的變形也是一種象徵，一切倒黴人的象徵：人一旦遭遇不幸（喪失工作能力的疾病、傷殘、政治襲擊等），他就不再被社會承認，從而失去作為人的價值的“自我”，成為無異於低等動物的“非人”。
在現代藝術創作中，變形是一種怪誕的表現手段，是一種創造 “距離”或“陌生化”的技巧。按照美國美學家桑塔那那的說法，怪誕也是一種創造；它違背客觀事物的表面真實，卻並不違背客觀事物的內在邏輯，因此它已進入現代美學的範疇，成為表現主義文學藝術偏愛的一種手法。表現主義文學創作強調從主觀的內心感受出發，作品往往具有一種個人的真實性，這在卡夫卡筆下呈現為自傳色彩。不僅主人公的身份（公司雇員）和心理（作為長子必須盡家庭義務）與作者近似，其他人物如父親、母親和妹妹幾乎都可以與卡夫卡的家庭成員進行比較。
內涵
《變形記》這個故事表面看來荒誕不經，實則藴涵了豐富而深刻的內容，主要包括以下方面：
1、首先，它真實地表現了西方現代資本主義社會裏人的異化.在西方現代資本主義社會人(例如金錢,機器,産品,生産方式等)所驅使，所脅迫，所統治而不能自主,成為物的奴隸，進而失去人的本性，變為非人.。《變形記》主人公裏高爾的故事正是人異化為非人這一哲學生存現狀.。
2、其次，作品還表現了在現代社會裏人的一種生存恐懼。人變甲蟲，在這裏象徵着莫明其妙的巨大災難的降臨，這種人不能掌握自己命運的感覺表現 了現代西方人的某種精神狀態，尤其是進入20世紀以後，兩次世界大戰的災難，周期性的經濟危機，超級大國的軍備競賽，核戰爭的威脅，環境污染和自然界生態平衡的破壞，這一切使人們對未來的命運處於一種不可知的恐懼狀態之中。《變形記》中格裏高爾的命運正反映了這種精神狀態本質的東西。
3、再次，《變形記》還表現了現代社會中人與人之間的冷漠關係。小說詳細的描寫了傢人對他從關心到厭惡到必欲置其於死地的過程，這一過程實際上是希望他恢復賺錢的能力到徹底絶望的過程。這是一個為家庭奉獻了一切，卻由於失去了原有的價值而被家庭拋棄的小人物的悲劇，這類悲劇在人情冷漠的現代社會裏並不罕見。
作品創造的藝術世界，涵蓋思想內容和藝術形式兩個方面，是內容和形式的有機統一。就思想而言，較為麯折地反映了資本主義社會的種種弊端，將荒唐、人性異化看着特定歷史條件下人類社會不可避免的現象，賦予作品以濃厚的虛無主義和悲觀主義情調;就藝術而言,善於運用怪誕和象徵的表現手法，特別是用富有表現力的手法去表現抽象的思想感情。
受存在主義學說的影響，作品深刻反映了世紀末情緒，表現了人的孤獨與恐懼，展示在人們面前的是荒誕的世界和異化的主題, 形成了獨持的“卡夫卡式”藝術風格和思想內容。特別是卡夫卡對表現主義手法運用自如,達到登峰造極之境界。其作品往往寓荒誕於真實之中，融幻想和怪誕於一體，或描寫人與“非人”的人有機碰撞;或執著於精神層面的不可逾越，真理的不可尋求，或寄寓象徵形象的塑造來展現人物的痛苦和睏惑等等，構建了“卡夫卡式”藝術風格的美學概念。
《變形記》-世人心中的卡夫卡與《變形記》
卡夫卡是現代主義文學的開山祖師，《變形記》是他的代表作品之一。如果你想瞭解現代主義文學，最好的辦法就是從反復閱讀《變形記》開始。
在本書中卡夫卡描述了小職員格裏高爾·薩姆沙突然變成一隻使傢人都厭惡的大甲蟲的荒誕情節，藉以揭示人與人之間--包括倫常之間--表面上親親熱熱，內心裏卻極為孤獨和陌生的實質，生動而深刻地再現了資本主義社會中人與人之間的冷漠。在荒誕的、不合邏輯的世界裏描繪"人類生活的一切活動及其逼真的細節"，這正是著名小說傢卡夫卡的天賦之所在。
閱讀《變形記》，有一種思維的樂趣，有一種睿智的感覺，思想上的所得顯然多於心靈的收穫，能從那極度的變形與誇張裏體會到生命的悸動與衝突。本書比較完整地代表了卡夫卡的思想深度與創造特點，是西方現代主義文學的經典作品之一。
卡夫卡的《變形記》把我們帶往不熟悉的另一世界，而其實，那另一世界原本屬於我們的人性之邦，衹是卡夫卡試圖用另一套敘述方式與技巧來展示我們人性內部的黑暗王國。因為我們平時不朝它看上一眼，初見之下，纔會感到它是如此的陌生、怪異和難以理解。
在描寫人被物化的作品中，奧地利著名的"現代藝術的探險者"卡夫卡１９１２年完成的中篇小說《變形記》，是西方現代派文學中描寫人被異化的傑作。
《影響歷史進程的一百本書》：
西方文壇推崇"卡夫卡是本世紀最佳作傢之一"，並說"如果要舉出一個作傢，他與我們時代的關係最近似但丁、莎士比亞、歌德與他們時代的關係，那麽，卡夫卡是首先會想到的名字"。儘管這些贊詞未免有過甚其詞之嫌，但以《變形記》為代表的卡夫卡的作品，的確對西方現代派文學産生了很深的影響，以至形成了一門專門研究和討論其作品的"卡夫卡學"。
《卡夫卡傳》：
如果你讀書是為了找樂趕時髦，卡夫卡的《變形記》絶對不適合你，不適合你美酒加咖啡的浪漫。書中荒誕的痛苦，會將你剛剛舉起的酒杯輕易擊碎。如果你不是一個盲目的樂觀主義者，此書可謂精彩至極，可反復閱讀、細細品味。
陌生的卡夫卡
什麽是好小說這是個永遠可以談論卻又永遠難以求解的問題。但好小說不一定是好看的小說，不一定適合大衆讀者的閱讀口味，因為好小說都是新鮮的、獨特的。它在與傳統閱讀習慣"對抗"過程中提供了新的藝術因素，使習慣於傳統閱讀的讀者不得不陷入難解之謎的深淵，所以也往往給人們留下了不怎麽好看的印象。閱讀卡夫卡的《變形記》，對讀者是一種智力、情感上的挑戰，因為他的作品是文學上的一個變數，很陌生，用傳統的閱讀方法很難解讀。
《變形記》超越時空的限製，對事件的交代極其模糊，不指明具體的時間、地點和背景。甚至泯滅了幻象和日常生活之間的界限，虛幻與現實難解難分地結合成一個整體了。看來，卡夫卡的《變形記》把我們帶往不熟悉的另一世界，而其實，那另一世界原本屬於我們的人性之邦，衹是卡夫卡試圖用另一套敘述方式與技巧來展示我們人性內部的黑暗王國。因為我們平時不朝它看上一眼，初見之下，纔會感到它是如此的陌生、怪異和難以理解。
捷剋作傢米蘭·昆德拉在《小說的藝術》中稱小說傢為"存在的勘探者"，而把小說的使命確定為"通過想像的人物對存在進行深思"，"揭示存在不為人知的方面"。卡夫卡的《變形記》就是探究存在之謎的，但他所關註的重點是"不可視的內心生活"--人的內心同樣作為現實的一部分而存在。他的《變形記》就是以深邃的寓意體現人類的某種常常被遺忘的存在狀態。
卡夫卡的小說是"夢與真實的絶妙混合。既有對現代世界最清醒的審視，又有最瘋狂的想像"。所以如果我們聯想一下現實生活中類似的事情，當我們自身的存在被一些誰也無法預料、無法逃避的境況所决定時，生活的荒誕與這個故事的荒誕就有了一種比擬的聯繫，那麽擺在我們面前的問題就尖銳了：當我們突然無法動彈，在完全無能為力，喪失了人的一切自主性的情況下，我們應該怎麽辦卡夫卡的小說帶出了我們深深的疑問。顯然，在如此荒誕的突變中，卡夫卡敏銳地覺察到現實生活某些帶本質性的問題，纔用這種象徵、誇張甚至荒誕的手法加以表現。
卡夫卡冷峻的眼光聚焦的是"真"。在他看來，"真"若要體現，就必須藉助於""。於是《變形記》中出現了大量的醜陋的意象，卡夫卡毫不客氣地放逐了文學的審美價值，似乎他覺得醜就是醜，甚至根本沒必要用美作為小說結束之前的一點安慰。所以，一直到小說的結尾，卡夫卡也沒有讓這些醜陋的意象從背面發出一點美的光芒。
最後引用一句王小波的話來結束本文，他說："我正等待着有一天，自己能夠打開一本書不再期待它有趣，衹期待自己能受到教育。"《變形記》就是一本這樣的好書。
在西方文學中我學到了卡夫卡這位作傢及他的作品，對於卡夫卡，我不是很熟悉，但他諸多成果中的一部《變形記》卻讓我難以忘懷。
《變形記》為現代主義文學的奠基之作，卡夫卡是現代主義文學的先驅，對後來現代主義文學的發展産生了深遠的影響。卡夫卡的創作旺盛期正值德國表現主義文學運動的高潮時期。他的短篇小說《變形記》可以說是表現主義的典型之作。1998 年，英國BBC廣播電臺作了一個係列節目，回顧20世紀的藝術經典，介紹100部20世紀最有影響的藝術作品，第一集就是關於卡夫卡的《變形記》。變形似乎一直是人類的一種理想，也是文學、影視作品中的經典題材，我小時便羨慕孫悟空的七十二變，今天的孩子也看着變形金剛一類的動畫片中威風凜凜的變形動作興奮不已，而且百看不厭。變形似乎是童話的專利。但卡夫卡的《變形記》卻是極為獨特的，格裏高爾也變形了，但他似乎變得並不輕鬆，讓我們讀起來也並不覺得興奮，卡夫卡究竟想要告訴我們什麽？
“一天早晨，格裏高爾。薩姆沙從不安的睡夢中醒來，發現自己躺在床上變成了一隻巨大的甲蟲。”（選自北京燕山出版社中篇小說集《變形記》中第86頁）這便是故事的開篇，我本以為是科幻小說，誰知道不是。卡夫卡用一種介呼於身臨其境的獨白，平靜的表敘着這個極盡荒誕的故事。但在他的筆下，不會有荒誕，有的衹是真實，讓人感覺恐慌的真實。一種新的寫法的誕生，讓後世不少人為之驚詫，“原來文學也可以這麽寫！”。又一位大師就這樣橫空出世了。記得美國作傢奧登說過：就作傢與其處的時代的關係而論，當代能與但丁、莎士比亞和歌德相提並論的第一人是卡夫卡。
表現主義的創作主張是遵循“表現論”美學原則而與傳統現實主義的“模仿論”原則相對立的。它反對“復製世界”，即不把客觀事物的表面現象作為真實的依據，而主張憑認真“觀察”和重新思考去發現或洞察被習俗觀念掩蓋着的，而為一般人所不註意的真實。為此就需要一種特殊的藝術手段，把描寫的客觀對象加以“陌生化”的處理，以造成審美主體與被描寫的客體之間的距離，從而引起你的驚異，迫使你從另一個角度去探悉同一個事物的本質。這種藝術手段通稱“間離法”，在布萊希特那裏叫作“陌生化效果”。《變形記》的變形即是一種間離（或“陌生化”）技巧。作者想藉以揭示人與人之間——包括倫常之間——表面親親熱熱，內心裏卻是極為孤獨和陌生的實質；之所以親親熱熱，因為互相有共同的利害關係維係着，一旦割斷這種關係，則那種親熱的外觀馬上就消失而暴露出冷酷和冷漠的真相。正如恩格斯在《英國工人階級狀況》一文中所揭示的：“維係家庭的紐帶並不是家庭的愛，而是隱藏在財産共有關係之後的私人利益。”可謂一針見血。你看，當格裏高爾身體健康，每月能拿回工資供養全家的時候，他是這個家庭裏一名堂堂正正的而且受人尊敬的長子。
但當他一旦患了不治之癥，失去了公司裏的職務，因而無法與家庭保持這種經濟聯繫的時候，他在家庭裏的一切尊嚴很快被剝奪幹淨，甚至連維持生命的正常飲食都無人過問。
他變成“非人”，他的處境無異於動物。當然也可以讓主人公得一種致命的重病或遭遇一次喪失勞動力的重殘，然後寫他被傢人厭棄的過程。但這樣的構思其藝術效果不如變形那樣強烈。因為作為病人，他有口會說話，有眼睛會看人，你不能當着他的面表現出對他的厭倦，或不給他送飯吃。而一隻甲蟲，既不會說話，也沒有表情，他的孤獨感就更加令人感到凄然了。
如果從西方流行的“異化”觀念去看，這篇小說也是寫人與人之間、人與自我之間關係的一篇傑作。在實際生活中，卡夫卡在家庭裏與父親的關係確實是不和諧的，但與母親關係是正常的，與他第三個妹妹特別要好。但卡夫卡卻在一封信中說：“我在自己的傢裏比陌生人還要陌生。”現在卡夫卡通過《變形記》暗示我們：即使像他的妹妹那樣愛着哥哥，但一旦這位哥哥得了一種致命的絶癥，久而久之，她也會像小說中的那位女郎那樣厭棄他的。這裏，卡夫卡寫的是一種普遍的人類生存狀況。人的變形，也是自我“異化”的一種寫照。尤其是主人公變成甲蟲以後，人的習性漸漸消失，而“蟲性”
日益增加，仿佛格裏高爾異化出人的世界以後，倒是在動物的世界裏找到“蟲”的自我了。這樣的寫法是絶妙的。
“格裏高爾的眼睛接着又朝窗口望去，天空很陰暗——可以聽到雨打點打在窗檻上的聲音——他的心情也變的很憂鬱了。”
“這時候天更亮了，可以清清楚楚地看到街對面一幢長得沒有盡頭的深灰色的建築——這是一所醫院——上面惹眼地開着一排排呆板的窗子；雨還在下，不過已成為一滴滴看得清的大顆粒了。”（以上均節選自《變形記》）。
上面的兩段都是對窗外景物的描寫，卡夫卡在輕易之間便把氣氛渲染的如此濃重。為主旋律的敘述又增加的完整的節拍。仿佛各個方面的特徵都是為了主題的烘托，而主題又毫無痕跡的呈現出各個方面的特徵。這種完美統一的連貫，使得文章讓人覺得如此的酣暢淋漓，故事好象就在自己的身邊發生，讓人欲罷不能。
1911年出現的《變形記》是晦澀的，深奧的，即使在近一百年後的今天，這個偉大的預言一樣的小說文本也並不是那麽容易理解。即使讀懂了這個寓言般的小說，又如何感知卡夫卡之所以悲哀呢？況且還有比悲哀更為深遠的東西包裹在其後。
Plot summary
Gregor Samsa awakes one morning to find himself inexplicably transformed from a human into a monstrous insect. Rather than lament his transformation, Gregor worries about how he will get to his job as a traveling salesman; Gregor is the sole financial provider for his parents and sister, Grete, and their comfort is dependent on his ability to work. When Gregor's supervisor arrives at the house and demands Gregor come out of his room, Gregor manages to roll out of bed and unlock his door. His appearance horrifies his family and supervisor; his supervisor flees and Gregor attempts to chase after him, but his family shoos him back into his room. Grete attempts to care for her brother by providing him with milk and the stale, rotten food he now prefers. Gregor also develops the fears of an insect, being effectively shooed away by hissing voices and stamping feet. However, Gregor remains a devoted and loving son, and takes to hiding beneath a sofa whenever someone enters his room in order to shield them from his insect form. When alone, he amuses himself by looking out of his window and crawling up the walls and on the ceiling.
No longer able to rely on Gregor's income, the other family members are forced to take on jobs and Grete's caretaking deteriorates. One day, when Gregor emerges from his room, his father chases him around the dining room table and pelts him with apples. One of the apples becomes embedded in his back, causing an infection. Due to his infection and his hunger, Gregor is soon barely able to move at all. Later, his parents take in lodgers and use Gregor's room as a dumping area for unwanted objects. Gregor becomes dirty, covered in dust and old bits of rotten food. One day, Gregor hears Grete playing her violin to entertain the lodgers. Gregor is attracted to the music, and slowly walks into the dining room despite himself, entertaining a fantasy of getting his beloved sister to join him in his room and play her violin for him. The lodgers see him and give notice, refusing to pay the rent they owe, even threatening to sue the family for harboring him while they stayed there. Grete determines that the monstrous insect is no longer Gregor, since Gregor would have left them out of love and taken their burden away, and claims that they must get rid of it. Gregor retreats to his room and collapses, finally succumbing to his wound.
The point of view shifts as, upon discovery of his corpse, the family feels an enormous burden has been lifted from them, and start planning for the future again. The family discovers that they aren't doing financially bad at all, especially since, following Gregor's demise, they can take a smaller flat. The brief process of forgetting Gregor and shutting him from their lives is quickly completed. The tale concludes with the mother and father taking note of Grete's new womanhood and growth.
Characters
Gregor Samsa
Gregor is the protagonist of the story. He works hard as a travelling salesman to provide for his sister and parents. He wakes up one morning as a monstrous insect. After the transformation, Gregor was unable to work, causing his father to work at a bank to provide for the family and pay owed debts.
Grete Samsa
Grete is Gregor's younger sister, who becomes his caretaker after the metamorphosis. At the beginning Grete and Gregor have a strong relationship but this relationship fades with time. While Grete originally volunteers to feed him and clean his room, throughout the story she grows more and more impatient with the task to the point of deliberately leaving messes in his room out of spite. She plays the violin and dreams of going to the conservatorium, a dream that Gregor was going to make come true. He was going to announce this on Christmas Eve. To help provide an income for the family after Gregor's transformation she starts working as a salesgirl in a shop.
Mr Samsa
Gregor's father owes a large debt to Gregor's boss, which is why Gregor can't quit his hated job. He is lazy and elderly, while Gregor works, but when, after the metamorphosis, Gregor is unable to provide for the family, he is shown to be an able-bodied worker. He also attempts to kill Gregor when he is discovered in his monstrous state.
Mrs Samsa
Mrs Samsa is the mother of Grete and Gregor. She is initially shocked at Gregor's transformation, however eventually decides she wants to enter his room. This seems too much for her to handle, and Gregor hides away from her in an attempt to protect her. Mrs Samsa is conflicted in her maternal concern and sympathy for Gregor, and her inherent fear of his new monstrous form.
Chief Clerk
The Chief Clerk is Gregor's boss and the person to whom Mr Samsa is in debt. He pressures Gregor to prepare for his workday with a urgency pertaining to the precarious position of his job.
Tenants
Three tenants are invited to live with the Samsas to supplement their income. The family shows great deference to these tenants throughout the length of their stay. They are fussy and cannot stand dirtiness, eventually leading to the point when they discover Gregor and threaten the family with a lawsuit, apparently believing he's just an extraordinarily large insect.
Lost in translation
The opening sentence of the novella is famous in English:
"When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from uneasy dreams, he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous insect."
"Als Gregor Samsa eines Morgens aus unruhigen Träumen erwachte, fand er sich in seinem Bett zu einem ungeheueren Ungeziefer verwandelt."
Kafka's sentences often deliver an unexpected impact just before the full stop—that being the finalizing meaning and focus. This is achieved due to the construction of sentences in German that require that the participle be positioned at the end of the sentence; in the above sentence, the equivalent of 'changed' is the final word, 'verwandelt'. Such constructions are not replicable in English, so it is up to the translator to provide the reader with the same effect found in the original text.
English translators have often sought to render the word Ungeziefer as "insect", but this is not strictly accurate. In Middle German, Ungeziefer literally means "unclean animal not suitable for sacrifice" and is sometimes used colloquially to mean "bug" – a very general term, unlike the scientific sounding "insect". Kafka had no intention of labeling Gregor as any specific thing, but instead wanted to convey Gregor's disgust at his transformation. The phrasing used in the David Wyllie translation and Joachim Neugroschel is "transformed in his bed into a monstrous vermin".
However, "vermin" denotes in English many animals (particularly mice, rats and foxes) and in Kafka's letter to his publisher of 25 October 1915, in which he discusses his concern about the cover illustration for the first edition, he uses the term "Insekt", saying "The insect itself is not to be drawn. It is not even to be seen from a distance." While this shows his concern not to give precise information about the type of creature Gregor becomes, the use of the general term "insect" can therefore be defended on the part of translators wishing to improve the readability of the end text.
Ungeziefer has sometimes been translated as "cockroach", "dung beetle", "beetle", and other highly specific terms. The term "dung beetle" or Mistkäfer is in fact used in the novella by the cleaning lady near the end of the story, but it is not used in the narration. Ungeziefer also denotes a sense of separation between him and his environment: he is unclean and must therefore be excluded.
Vladimir Nabokov, who was a lepidopterist as well as writer and literary critic, insisted that Gregor was not a cockroach, but a beetle with wings under his shell, and capable of flight — if only he had known it. Nabokov left a sketch annotated "just over three feet long" on the opening page of his (heavily corrected) English teaching copy. In his accompanying lecture notes, Nabokov discusses the type of vermin Gregor has been transformed into, concluding that Gregor "is not, technically, a dung beetle. He is merely a big beetle. (I must add that neither Gregor nor Kafka saw that beetle any too clearly.)"
Adaptations to other media
There are several film versions, including:
* Metamorphosis (1987) at the Internet Movie Database
* Die Verwandlung (1975) at the Internet Movie Database
* Förvandlingen (1976/I) at the Internet Movie Database
* The Metamorphosis of Mr. Samsa (1977) at the Internet Movie Database by Caroline Leaf
* The Metamorphosis of Franz Kafka (1993) by Carlos Atanes.
* Prevrashcheniye (2002) at the Internet Movie Database
* Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis acoustical liberation from LibriVox.
* Metamorfosis (2004) at the Internet Movie Database
* A Metamorfose (2007) at the Internet Movie Database
* Immersive Kafka: The Metamorphosis / Atvaltozas (2010) by Sandor Kardos, Barnabas Takacs.
A stage adaptation was performed by Steven Berkoff in 1969. Berkoff's text was also used for the libretto to Brian Howard's 1983 opera Metamorphosis. Another stage adaptation was performed in 2006 by the Icelandic company Vesturport, showing at the Lyric Hammersmith, London. That adaptation is set to be performed in the Icelandic theater fall of 2008. Another stage adaptation was performed in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2005 by the Centre for Asian Theatre. That performance is still continuing in Bangladesh. The Lyric Theatre Company toured the UK in 2006 with its stage adaptation of Metamorphosis, accompanied by a unique soundtrack performed by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. American comic artist Peter Kuper illustrated a graphic-novel version, first published by the Crown Publishing Group in 2003. Megan Rees is currently working on a new stage adaptation that should be published by 2010.
Allusions/references from other works
Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (February 2008)
Stage
* Philip Glass composed incidental music for two separate theater productions of the story. These two themes, along with two themes from the Errol Morris film The Thin Blue Line, were incorporated into a five-part piece of music for solo piano entitled Metamorphosis.
Literature
Jacob M. Appel's H. E. Francis Award-winning story, "The Vermin Episode," retells The Metamorphosis from the point-of-view of the Samsas' neighbors.
Film
* The 2005 film The Producers includes a scene where the two protagonists are searching for a sure flop. The opening for the play of Metamorphosis is read and rejected for being too good.
* The 2008 film The Reader features Ralph Fiennes reading aloud from Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis.
* In 2002 a Russian version titled Prevrashchenie was directed by Valery Fokin with Yevgeny Mironov as Gregor.
* In 1995, the actor Peter Capaldi won an Oscar for his short-film Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life. The plot of the film has the author (played by Richard E. Grant) trying to write the opening line of Metamorphosis and experimenting with various things that Gregor might turn into, such as a banana or a kangaroo. The film is also notable for a number of Kafkaesque moments.
* In 1993 Carlos Atanes directed The Metamorphosis of Franz Kafka, a controversial adaptation based on The Metamorphosis as well on biographical details from Kafka's family.
* in Noah Baumbach's Squid and the Whale, Jeff Daniels and Jesse Eisenberg make several references to The Metamorphosis
Animation
* In The Venture Bros. episode "Mid-Life Chrysalis", Dr. Venture's transformation into a caterpillar slightly mirrors that of Gregor Samsa's transformation.
* A reference appears in the 2006 Aardman Animations feature film Flushed Away when a refrigerator falls through the floor of the protagonist Rita's home and a giant cockroach appears reading a copy of The Metamorphosis.
* In the short-lived TV animated series Extreme Ghostbusters, season 1, episode 11 ("The Crawler"), the bug monster (that resembles a giant insect) calls himself Gregor Samsa when trying to seduce Janine to be his queen in his human form.
* Jack Feldstein created a tribute to Gregor Samsa and The Metamorphosis in his stream-of-consciousness neon animation "Shmetamorphosis" about a bug who hysterically bursts into therapist Bertold Krasenstein's office, begging to be saved.
* In the first season of the anime Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei there is an episode titled "One Morning, When Gregor Samsa Awoke, He was Carrying a Mikoshi", an obvious parody of the first line of The Metamorphosis.
Comics
* American cartoonist Robert Crumb drew an illustrated adaptation of the novella which appears in the book Introducing Kafka.
* In the comic book Johnny the Homicidal Maniac by Jhonen Vasquez, the eponymous Johnny is plagued by a roach that keeps appearing in his house no matter how many times he kills it (whether or not this roach is immortal or simply many different roaches is up to interpretation) and is affectionately named "Mr. Samsa".
* In The Simpsons book Treehouse of Horror Spook-tacular, Matt Groening did a spoof on the metamorphosis, entitling it Metamorphosimpsons. In addition, in one of the episodes, Lisa attends a place called "Cafe Kafka", which is shown to be a popular place for college students, and features several posters of cockroaches in Bohemian-like poses.
* Peter Kuper (illustrator of Kafka's Give It Up!) also adapted Kafka's Metamorphosis.
Television
* In the TV series Supernatural, the 4th episode of season 4 is named "Metamorphosis."
* The TV series Smallville, which is a retelling of Superman's early years as a teenager, alludes to Kafka's story in the season one, episode "Metamorphosis" where the 'Freak of the Week' is transformed into a being with insect-like abilities after suffering from exposure to meteor-infected insects (Kryptonite-induced).
* In the TV series Home Movies there is an entire episode based on Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis as a Rock Opera.
* In the TV series The Venture Bros., in the 8th episode of season 1, Dr. Venture undergoes a metamorphosis and alludes to the story.
* In the TV series The Ricky Gervais Show, in the 11th episode of season 1, named "Beetles," the characters discuss the potential of Karl Pilkingtons's metamorphosis.
Music
* Gregor Samsa is the name of an American post-rock band.
* The Rolling Stones' 1975 album Metamorphosis features cover art of the band members with insect heads.
* Showbread has a song named "Sampsa Meets Kafka". The misspelling of Samsa is intentional. Josh Dies the lead singer also lists Kafka as one of his biggest influences.
* The name of the German darkwave/metal/neoclassical band Samsas Traum is inspired by the story.
Video games
* Bad Mojo is a 1996 computer game, the storyline of which is loosely based on The Metamorphosis.
* Spore: Galactic Adventures made an adventure version of The Metamorphosis.
* In the 2001 Wizardry 8, the first boss is a gigantic cockroach named "Gregor".
卡夫卡出生在布拉格的一個猶太商人家庭，沿襲了純種猶太人聰明的血統。父親是一個半行乞的屠夫的兒子，白手起傢，在傢中專橫如暴君，任意虐待妻兒，他對卡夫卡的學習、生活不聞不問，衹是偶爾指手畫腳地訓斥一通———他想把兒子培養成為性格堅強而又能幹的年輕人，但結果是適得其反。卡夫卡內心中一直對父親存有無法消除的畏懼心理，自小心裏充滿恐懼，敏感成性。加上他作為布拉格講德語的少數人的一分子，更造就了他無邊無際的孤獨。
迫於父親的壓力，他學習法律，後入一傢私人保險公司任低薪職員，一直湮沒在人群之中。他一生三次訂婚，又三次解除婚約，其中原因之一就是怕結婚會破壞他已經習慣的孤獨生活。後來他患上肺結核病，更使他遠離熱鬧的塵世生活，沉浸在自己孤獨的內心世界中。
這個孤僻的小職員的最大愛好就是寫作，他那敏感、怯懦的性格和孤僻、憂鬱的氣質確實適合做一個作傢。卡夫卡業餘創作的大部分作品在他生前一直鎖在抽屜裏，少量面世的短篇小說還不足讓他一鳴驚人，而且對他的同時代人來說，他的小說太超前了，當時的人們遠未有能力體驗卡夫卡獨特而奇怪的荒謬感。他病逝後遺留下大量手稿。
二戰之後，世界在廢墟上重建，戰爭所帶來的人類心靈深重的陰影，使人們不約而同地把目光轉嚮了30年前死去的無名作傢卡夫卡，他及其作品在西方世界掀起了一股熱潮，人們像投票選舉政界要員一樣把他列為現代派小說傢的第一候選人。
推薦閱讀版本：湯永寬譯，武漢大學出版社出版。
《城堡》-內容精要
一個寒冷的鼕天的夜晚，土地測量員K來到了一個村子，他的目的是要前往村子附近的那座城堡去執行公務。當K在村口遙望城堡時，他感到籠罩在夜色之中的城堡，如同一片空洞虛無的幻景，這樣的感覺似乎預示着他的任務不是那麽容易完成的。
他前往客店投宿，可是客店老闆對他的到來有點不知所措。他告訴K已經客滿了，衹好把K勉強安頓下來。客店裏的人得知K要去城堡，都用特別的眼神看他。一位年輕人告訴K，每個進入城堡的人都必須得有一張許可證，而要想得到許可證，就必須去找城堡裏的伯爵。
第二天，K走嚮城堡，可是耗費了一整天的時間他也無法靠近城堡一步。天色暗下來，他衹好先去找棲身之處。找來找去，又回到了昨天晚上的那傢客店。在搭雪橇前往客店的途中，他遇到了兩個自稱是他的助手的人。他們非常熱情地幫助 K，並且用電話聯絡城堡裏的辦事機構，詢問具體何時能上城堡去，對方回答：“任何時候都不能來。”
這時，來了一位叫巴納巴斯的人，他是城堡的信使，K對他的來到十分興奮，認為他可以成為自己和城堡聯繫的中間人。巴納巴斯給他帶來了城堡的信，信裏既沒有對K的到來表示歡迎，也沒有暗示他趕快離開。事情依舊毫無轉機。K和信使一道去了他傢，信使的妹妹又表示她可以幫助K，於是把 K送進了一傢旅館，她告訴K，城堡的頭面人物剋拉姆住在那裏，可以藉機找剋拉姆打通關節。
在旅館的酒吧裏，K認識了剋拉姆的情婦弗麗達，K頓時使出渾身解數試圖靠近弗麗達，然而旅館裏的人不停地添亂，助手們也在一邊添亂，使他無法和弗麗達親密地談一談關於剋拉姆。他甚至用與弗麗達結婚的許諾想換得跟剋拉姆談一次話的機會。但K最終發現弗麗達這條路是走不通的，因為她和信使一樣，是個無關緊要的小人物，她早已失寵。
K去見村長，村長告訴他，K來到村子完全是個錯誤，因為這裏根本用不着土地測量員。城堡裏不同部門彼此封閉，造成了一些差錯，所以K纔會收到公文，然而這份公文是早已無效的。村長承認他在幾年前收到一個招聘一位土地測量員的公文，然而他無論如何找不到那張可以證明K合法身份的薄紙片。村長表達了自己對這件事情的看法，他覺得K收到的公文其實是一封某個主管，比如剋拉姆，對他表示私人關心的的信，不能代表城堡的意見，因此K應當趁早回去。
K感到受騙上當了，但他堅持要求得到他應得的權利，那就是找一個住處，安頓他和弗麗達的新傢。客棧老闆一心想趕走K，K臨走前，又從老闆娘那裏聽到了關於她和剋拉姆舊情的回憶，這使K感到很不舒服，因為他不由自主地想到了自己的未婚妻。
這時村裏學校的教師奉村長之命前來，允許K帶傢眷住進學校任看門人，同時他也強調，學校其實並不需要一個看門人，他完全遵從村長的命令。K感到受到了侮辱，他拒絶了這份工作。可弗麗達堅持K接受它，她說如果K不接受，連個安身之處都沒有，那麽這對K對她自己都是十分羞愧的事情。
K對於進入城堡仍然抱着最後的希望，這已經不單純是執行公務，而是有關個人尊嚴的問題。他冒雪來到剋拉姆的旅館，女招待說這會兒剋拉姆正準備離開旅館，雪橇已在院子裏等着他，K二話沒話，守到雪橇邊，喝着白蘭地等剋拉姆出來。和以前一樣，剋拉姆本人永遠不會出現，他的秘書摩麥斯出來告訴K： “不管你跟我走或者留在這裏，你都不會見到他。”K反而陷入了進退兩難的地步，如果他離開，周圍人的神色舉止裏就表明剋拉姆就此脫身了；如果他堅持等下去，顯然也是沒有結果的。秘書拿出一份會談記錄，K指出這是引K走嚮剋拉姆的惟一道路，但首先K必須接受一番苛刻的審查，K覺得不可忍受，於是他們兩人大笑着分別了。
《城堡》作傢卡夫卡
信使巴納巴斯又帶來了剋拉姆的一封信，剋拉姆贊賞了K及其助手的測量工作，這使K睏惑不已，他至今為止從未幹什麽測量工作，每天做的事情就是在等待爭取城堡的許可。K開始懷疑信使的可靠，但他仍托巴納巴斯帶去一個回音，申訴自己焦灼地渴盼見到剋拉姆一面的心情。
之後K回到他和弗麗達的新傢，那是學校裏的一間大教室，可是K和弗麗達的生活並不安寧。兩個助手不停地淘氣，爭食物，瞅準機會睡到惟一的稻草墊子上去。第二天，學校的女教師來了，她十分吃驚，繼而不斷地責駡 K，K幾乎像個劣等動物一樣被欺辱，可他决不接受校方的解職通知。他遷怒於兩位無用的助手，宣佈辭退他們，助手們施出渾身氣力哀求K。弗麗達反對K的决定，她說一旦辭退助手，K就永遠沒有機會見到剋拉姆了。弗麗達鼓勵K不要喪失信心。
K 來到信使傢等待回音，信使的姐妹奧爾伽和阿瑪麗亞總嚮K暗示她們的傾慕之情，並且在閑聊中，暗示K，她們的哥哥巴納巴斯可能從未見過剋拉姆，他總是給K帶來那些耽誤了很久，失去時效的信。就連剋拉姆本人，也是可疑的，關於剋拉姆的種種情況，很大程度上是村裏人想象出來的。奧爾伽又告訴K，城堡裏的官員如同暴君，他們可以隨時瞧上村裏的任何姑娘，給她們寫下流無比的信。他們的談話離正題越來越遠，奧爾伽講起了阿瑪麗亞因為拒絶城堡裏另一位大官員索爾蒂尼的求愛而遭受的不幸，他們全家都被迫接受了一種幾乎整天無所事事的刑罰，城堡強製他們退出社會生活。奧爾伽提醒K，不要指望任何一位有同情心的官員為他說話。巴納巴斯為K送信，其實不過是想讓自己一傢人不露痕跡地再受恩寵，對於K來說，沒有任何意義。這場繁冗而推心置腹的談話被K的一位助手打斷了，K很快意識到弗麗達和另一位助手呆在傢裏，他趕緊回傢了。
到傢裏，K發現弗麗達不見了。原來她以為K跑去勾搭巴納巴斯的姐妹，於是和另一個助手達成協議，背叛K。這時，巴納巴斯又跑來找K，興衝衝地通知他，剋拉姆的主要秘書之一艾朗格要和K當面談一談。K和一群人等候在漆黑的旅館門口，K被最先領了進去，但艾朗格卻睡着了，K衹好等着。在等待的時候，他又重新見到了弗麗達，他們激烈爭論了忠實與不忠實的問題。弗麗達坦然地告訴K，她已經和那位助手同居了。K則十分平靜地回敬她：自從你相繼失去了剋拉姆的情婦以及我的未婚妻這兩種身份之後，你早已經沒有了魅力。聽完此話後，弗麗達似乎被觸動了。但是她又見到助手時，馬上就改變主意。她說：她再也不想回到K身邊接受他的折磨。
小說就在此處戛然而止，卡夫卡未寫完它，他原來打算的結尾是K將精疲力竭而死。後世及研究者預計的結局是：K彌留之際，城堡終於來了通知，允許K留在村子裏，但不許進入城堡，K永遠不可能到達那裏，一直到死。
《城堡》-專傢點評
當一個作傢不能被他同時代的人所理解時，他會怎樣處理自己的作品。卡夫卡選擇的是毀滅。他在遺書中委托好友布羅德將其所有作品“毫無保留地，讀也不必讀就統統予以焚毀”。萬幸布羅德自作主張將卡夫卡的遺稿保存下來，整理出版，這一次明智的“背信棄義”使我們今天依舊能一睹卡夫卡這位文學大師一生勤奮的成果。
人們提到卡夫卡，總是會提起他的《變形記》，裏面的小公務員一早起來發現自己變成了一個大甲蟲。西方文學中常常用《變形記》來指代現代化文明中人的異化。然而在這裏所推薦的《城堡》，因其多義性更富於閱讀的快樂。中篇小說《城堡》與《審判》及《美國》合稱“卡夫卡三部麯”，它們都具有卡夫卡小說一貫的荒誕不經風格：異化現象，難以排遣的孤獨和危機感，無法剋服的荒誕和恐懼。卡夫卡的小說揭示了一種荒誕的充滿非理性色彩的景象，個人式的、憂鬱的、孤獨的情緒，運用的是象徵式的手法。其中《城堡》更富於“卡夫卡式”的構思和語言風格。
和卡夫卡的其他小說一樣，《城堡》沒有惟一正確的解釋，解釋權授予了每個閱讀者，這來源於這部作品的多義性。表面上，這作品的故事再簡單不過了，一個土地測量員K來到一個村莊，想進入管轄附近地區的伯爵居住的城堡，他費了九牛二虎之力，攤上一切也沒能達到目的。《城堡》所具有的荒謬、虛擬，無明確的時代地理背景的特徵使它抹上很濃的寓言色彩，無論評論傢還是普通讀者都能夠獲得不同的結論，《城堡》究竟表達了怎樣的主題，這終了還是一個難解之謎，有人說它表現的是“人試圖進入天國而不得的痛苦”；有人則認為它集中反映了卡夫卡本人的精神世界的荒誕、孤獨與恐懼；有人則結合寫作年代背景，說明城堡實際上反映了奧匈帝國官僚體製與大衆的鴻溝，更有論者以為，《城堡》和《審判》、《美國》的主題相同，即“人們所追求的真理，不管是自由、安定，還是法律，都是存在的，但這個荒誕的世界給人們設置了種種障礙，無論你怎麽努力， 總是追求不到， 最後衹能以失敗告終。” 在《城堡》中，“城堡”是最大的謎團，它與主人公K的目標總是若即若離，也正因此，能夠激起人們相當的閱讀興趣，其中的人物如CC伯爵，以至於剋拉姆部長等都神秘莫測，足以見卡夫卡這位小說傢的天才的智慧。
《城堡》小說傢卡夫卡
閱讀卡夫卡的小說，對每一個讀者來說都是挑戰。他喜歡長句子，字裏行間充滿了大量的暗喻，他用文字堆起了一個個迷宮。讀者會在穿行文字時遇到極大的阻力。然而當你習慣他的文字風格後，你會發現，原先的阻力變成了動力，帶給你閱讀的快感。
1913年8月15日，卡夫卡在自己的日記裏寫道：“我將不顧一切地與所有人隔絶，與所有人敵對，不同任何人講話。”6天後他又這樣寫道：“現在我在我的家庭裏，在那些最好的、最親愛的人們中間，比一個陌生人還要陌生。近年來我和我的母親平均每天說不上20句話；和我的父親除了有時彼此寒暄幾句幾乎就沒有更多的話可說；和我的已婚的妹妹和妹夫們除了跟他們生氣我壓根兒就不說話。理由很簡單：我和他們沒有任何一丁點兒的事情要說。一切不是文學的事情都使我無聊， 叫我憎恨”三年之後，這個不僅和整個世界格格不入，而且也和自己格格不入的猶太人，雖然尚未進入完全與世隔絶的城堡，卻終於從家庭裏逃出，為自己找到了一條窄得像西服袖子一樣的幽深的死巷。這就是如今在布拉格頗為知名的黃金巷、又譯為“煉金術士巷”。黃金巷22號的連棟屋中間，有座建於16世紀的、衹有一個房間和一間小閣樓的小小藍屋，墻壁很薄，房捨低矮得伸手便可觸及天花板。這是被他的好友馬剋斯·布羅德稱之為“一個真正的作傢的修道士般的密室”的處所。卡夫卡在這裏繼續用謎一般的文字構築着自己靈魂的城堡。
《城堡》卡夫卡及傢人
在卡夫卡的世界裏，噩夢永遠沒有醒來的時候，在荒誕的、不合邏輯的世界裏描繪“人類生活的一切活動及其逼真的細節”，這正是作為小說傢的卡夫卡的天賦所在，當我們讀到《變形記》、《城堡》、《審判》等作品時，簡直就像面對着一尊尊充滿力量的雕塑，你能從那極度的變形與誇張裏體會到生命的悸動與衝突。對於卡夫卡自己來說，生存就是一場必須“恰當運用自己的力量（因為我們的力量永遠是有限的）”的抗爭。雖然前途黯淡，但前途畢竟終會到來。通過寫作這一形式卡夫卡為自己的抗爭找到了存在的形象。從卡夫卡自己的書信與日記，我們也許能領會到那無窮無盡的力量源泉，他這樣寫道：“不要絶望，甚至對你並不感到絶望這一點也不要絶望。恰恰在似乎一切都完了的時候，新的力量畢竟來臨，給你以幫助，而這正表明你是活着的。”“一場傾盆大雨。站立着面對這場大雨吧！讓它的鋼鐵般的光芒刺穿你。你在那想把你衝走的雨水中飄浮，但你還是要堅持，昂首屹立，等待那即將來臨的無窮無盡的陽光的照耀。”令人吃驚的是，它們竟然帶着這樣一些姿態：憂傷、理解、痛苦、謙卑，卡夫卡由此走嚮了無限深淵。最終他完成了對自己的塑造：他成為無限深淵中惟一裸行的思想者。卡夫卡的道路是對抗之路，他與存在於他身邊的世界和秩序一直是抗爭着的，藝術或者說文學寫作是他對抗外部荒誕世界的惟一武器，他別無選擇。雖然在此期間，他極度渴望實現藝術與現實的統一，甚至他個人與外部世界有過短暫的統一，但這種統一也是一瞬即逝的，表面和形式上的。他也渴望有自己的家庭，但他害怕家庭損害他的寫作；他也像凡夫俗子一樣，渴望有自己的孩子，做一名好父親，但直到他有一個已長到7歲纔夭折的孩子。
卡夫卡生前默默無聞，孤獨地奮鬥，隨着時間的流逝，他的價值纔逐漸為人們所認識，作品引起了世界的震動，並在世界範圍內形成一股“卡夫卡”熱，經久不衰。他一生的作品並不多，但對後世文學的影響卻是極為深遠的。他與法國作傢馬賽爾·普魯斯特、愛爾蘭作傢詹姆斯·喬伊斯並稱為西方現代主義文學的先驅和大師。美國詩人奧登認為：“他與我們時代的關係最近似但丁、莎士比亞、歌德與他們時代的關係。”後世的許多現代主義文學流派如“荒誕派戲劇”、法國的“新小說”等都把卡夫卡奉為自己的鼻祖。
關於卡夫卡，我們還可以說上很多很多。據說在現代文學的研究中，關於卡夫卡的論文數量之大，僅僅打印題目就需要幾十頁。但是，理解卡夫卡最好的方法，就是進入他的文字世界，安靜地傾聽他通過語言表達的內心。這不正是我們現在這個浮躁的現代文明所缺少的嗎？
《城堡》-妙語佳句
他真要以為外面是灰色的天空與灰色的土地渾然一體的荒漠世界了。
可是如果這一切的平靜、舒適與滿足都要想恐怖地告一段落，那該怎麽辦呢？
History of the novel
Kafka began writing The Castle on the evening of January 27, 1922, the day he arrived at the mountain resort of Spindlermühle (now in the Czech Republic). A picture taken of him upon his arrival shows him by a horse-drawn sleigh in the snow in a setting reminiscent of The Castle. Hence, the significance that the first few chapters of the handwritten manuscript were written in first person and at some point later changed by Kafka to a third person narrator, 'K.'
Max Brod
Kafka died prior to finishing The Castle and it is questionable whether Kafka intended on finishing it if he had survived his tuberculosis. On separate occasions he told his friend Max Brod of two different conditions: K., the book's protagonist, would continue to reside and die in the village; the castle notifying him on his death bed that his "legal claim to live in the village was not valid, yet, taking certain auxiliary circumstances into account, he was permitted to live and work there" , but then on September 11, 1922 in a letter to Max Brod, he said he was giving up on the book and would never return to it. As it is, the book ends mid-sentence.
Although Brod was instructed by Kafka to destroy all his works on his death, he did not and set about publishing Kafka's writings. The Castle was originally published in German in 1926 by the publisher Kurt Wolff Verlag of Munich. This edition sold far less than the 1500 copies that were printed. It was republished in 1935 by Schocken Verlag in Berlin, and in 1946 by Schocken Books of New York.
Brod had to heavily edit the work to ready it for publication. His goal was to gain acceptance of the work and the author, not to maintain the structure of Kafka's writing. This would play heavily in the future of the translations and continues to be the center of discussion on the text. Brod donated the manuscript to Oxford University.
Brod placed a strong religious significance to the symbolism of the castle. This is one possible interpretation of the work based on numerous Judeo-Christian references as noted by many including Arnold Heidsieck.
Malcolm Pasley
The publisher, Salmen Schocken, soon realized the translations were "bad" and in 1940 desired a "completely different approach". In 1961 Malcolm Pasley got access to all of Kafka's works, except The Trial, and deposited them in Oxford's Bodleian library. Pasley and a team of scholars (Gerhard Neumann, Malcolm Pasley, Jost Schillemeit, and Jürgen Born) started publishing the works in 1982 through S. Fischer Verlag. Das Schloß was published that year as a two volume set — the novel in the first volume, and the fragments, deletions and editor's notes in a second volume. This team restored the original German text to its full, and incomplete state, including the unique Kafka punctuation considered critical to the style.
Stroemfeld/Roter Stern
Interpretations of Kafka's intent for the manuscript are ongoing. Stroemfeld/Roter Stern Verlag is working for the rights to publish another critical edition with manuscript and transcription side-by-side. But they have met with resistance from the Kafka heirs and Pasley. This edition is not yet available.
Major editions
* 1930 Translators: Willa and Edwin Muir. Based on the First German edition, by Max Brod. Published By Secker & Warburg in England and Alfred A. Knopf in the United States.
* 1941 Translators: Willa and Edwin Muir. Edition include an Homage by Thomas Mann.
* 1954 Translators: Willa and Edwin Muir additional sections translated by Eithne Wilkins and Ernst Kaiser. "Definitive edition". Based on the Schocken 1951 Definitive edition .
* 1994 Translators: Muir, et al. Preface by Irving Howe.
* 1997 Translator: J. A. Underwood, Introduction: Idris Parry. Based on Pasley Critical German Text.
* 1998 Translator: Mark Harman Based on Pasley Critical German Text.
The title
The title, Das Schloß, may be translated as "the castle" or "the lock". It is also similar to Der Schluß (close or end). The castle is locked and closed to K and the townspeople; neither can gain access.
Plot
The narrator, K. arrives in the village, governed by the castle. When seeking shelter at the town inn, he gives himself out to be a land surveyor summoned by the castle authorities. He is quickly notified that his castle contact is an official named Klamm, who, in the introductory note, informs K. he will report to the Council Chairman.
The Council Chairman informs K. that, through a mix up in communication between the castle and the village, he was erroneously requested but, trying to accommodate K., the Council Chairman offers him a position in the service of the school teacher as a janitor. Meanwhile, K., unfamiliar with the customs, bureaucracy and processes of the village, continues to attempt to reach the official Klamm, who is not accessible.
The villagers hold the officials and the castle in the highest regard, justifying, quite elaborately at times, the actions of the officials, even though they do not appear to know what officials do or why they do it; they simply defend it. The number of assumptions and justifications about the functions of the officials and their dealings are enumerated through lengthy monologues of the villagers. Everyone appears to have an explanation for the official's actions that appear to be founded on assumptions and gossip. One of the more obvious contradictions between the "official word" and the village conception is the dissertation by the secretary Erlanger on Frieda's required return to service as a barmaid. K. is the only villager that knows that the request is being forced by the castle (even though Frieda may be the genesis), with no regard for anyone in the village, only Klamm. Pepi and Jeremiah quickly come to their conclusions and do not hesitate to state them.
The castle is the ultimate bureaucracy with copious paperwork that the bureaucracy maintains is "flawless". This flawlessness is of course a lie; it is a flaw in the paperwork that has brought K. to the village. There are other failures of the system which are occasionally referred to. K. witnesses a flagrant misprocessing after his nighttime interrogation by Erlanger as a servant destroys paperwork when he cannot determine who the recipient should be.
The castle's occupants appear to be all adult men and there is little reference to the castle other than to its bureaucratic functions. The two notable instances are the reference to a fire brigade and that Otto Brunswick's wife is self declared as from the castle. The latter builds the importance of Hans (Otto's son) in K's eyes, as a way to gain access to the castle officials.
The functions of the officials are never mentioned. The officials that are discussed have one or more secretaries that do their work in their village. Although the officials come to the village they do not interact with the villagers unless they need female companionship, implied to be sexual.
Characters
Note: The Muir translations refer to the Herrenhof Inn where the Harman translations translate this to the Gentleman's Inn. Below all references to the inn where the officials stay in the village is the Herrenhof Inn since this was the first, and potentially more widely read, translation.
Character Description
K., the Land-Surveyor The protagonist of the story, recognized as a land surveyor, employed as the school janitor, and a stranger to the townspeople. He spends most of the novel trying to overcome the bureaucracy of the village and to contact the castle official Klamm.
Frieda A former barmaid at the Herrenhof, who is K.'s fiancée for most of the novel. She often finds herself torn between her duty to K. and her fears regarding his over-zealousness. She eventually leaves K. and ends up in the arms of his former assistant, Jeremiah (who has since become a waitperson at the Herrenhof).
Hans, landlord
(Bridge Inn) Nephew of the original owner of the inn. According to his wife, Gardena, he is lazy and overly nice to K.
Gardena, landlady
(Bridge Inn) The self proclaimed firebrand of the Bridge Inn she is a former short-term mistress to Klamm and very distrustful of K.'s motives. She remains infatuated with Klamm.
Barnabas, a messenger A messenger of the castle assigned to K. He is new to the service. K. is instructed to use him to communicate with the official Klamm. He is very immature and sensitive.
Arthur and Jeremiah, K's assistants
(Artur and Jeremias in Harman edition) Shortly after his arrival in the village, K. is given two assistants to help him with his various needs. They are a continual source of frustration for him, however, and he eventually drives them from his service through his brutal treatment. They have been assigned to K., to make him happy, by the official Galater who was deputizing for Klamm at the time.
Mayor/Superintendent
(Village Council Chairman in Harman edition) Assigned by Klamm to give K. his assignment and hence is his superior. He explains to K why he is not needed as a land surveyor. He offers K. the job of school janitor to the dismay of the Teacher.
Mizzi, the mayor's wife The wife and assistant of the Mayor, Gardena refers to her as the one who does the work.
Klamm An elusive castle official who is K.'s Castle Authority. Like the other Castle officials in the book, his actual area of expertise is never mentioned. K. spends a large portion of the novel trying to secure a meeting with Klamm. K., it seems, fixes many of his hopes for a successful resolution to his problems upon this meeting with Klamm. He has at least two secretaries—Erlanger (First Secretary) and Momus.
In Czech (and Kafka was able to speak and read/write Czech) "klam" means "illusion."
Momus, Klamm's secretary Handles all written work for and receives all petitions to Klamm. He is also secretary for Vallabne, who is not mentioned again in the novel.
Erlanger, Klamm's secretary The First Secretary of Klamm who is sent to "interrogate" K, but only gives him a short message.
Olga, Barnabas' sister The older sister of Amalia and Barnabas. She helps K. on his quest, partly by telling him the story of why her family is considered outcasts and by teaching him some of the village customs.
Amalia, Barnabas' sister Younger sister of Barnabas and Olga. She was disgraced in the village after rudely turning down a summons from the castle official Sortini for sexual favors.
Barnabas' Father The father of Olga, Amalia and Barnabas. Past village cobbler and notable fireman. After Amalia's disgraceful interactions with Sortini's messenger, his business is ruined and he is stripped of his fire credentials
Barnabas' Mother The mother of Olga, Amalia and Barnabas.
Otto Brunswick, son-in-law of Lasemann
(brother-in-law of Lasemann in Harman edition) Hans Brunswick's father. Opportunistically takes over Barnabas' father's customers as the Barnabas family falls into disrepute from Amalia's rude treatment of Sortini's Messenger. According to the Mayor, Brunswick was the only person in the village that desired that a land surveyor be hired. No reason for this is given.
Frau Brunswick Hans Brunswick's Mother. She refers to herself as "from the castle" and is the only reference to a female at the castle.
Hans, a sympathetic Student A student at the school where K is a janitor. Offers to help K and K uses him to attempt to find ways to get to the castle through his mother.
Herrenhof Landlord Landlord of the Herrenhof Inn.
Herrenhof Landlady Well dressed landlady at the Herrenhof Inn. Seems to be the matriarch of the Inn (as is Gardena at the Bridge Inn). Is distrustful of K.
Galater He is the castle official that assigned the assistants to K. He was also "rescued" by Barnabas' father in a minor fire at the Herrenhof Inn.
Brügel
(Bürgel in Harman edition) A Secretary of a castle official, Friedrich. Friedrich is not mentioned again in the book, but in deleted text is referred to as an official who is falling out of favor. Brügel is a long winded secretary who muses about Castle interrogations with K, when the latter errantly enters his room at the Herrenhof Inn.
Sordini Castle secretary who exhaustively manages any transactions at the castle for his department and is suspicious of any potential error.
Sortini Castle official associated with the village fire brigade who solicits Amalia with a sexually explicit and rude request to come to his room at the Herrenhof.
Teacher When K. becomes the janitor at the school, the teacher becomes K.'s de facto superior. He does not approve of K. working at the school, but does not appear to have the authority to terminate K's appointment.
Miss Gisa, the school mistress The assistant school teacher who is courted by Schwarzer and also dislikes K.
Schwarzer An under-castellan's son who appears to have given up living in the castle to court Miss Gisa and become her student teacher.
Pepi A former chamber maid who is promoted to Frieda's barmaid position when the latter leaves her position at the Herrenhoff to live with K. She was a chambermaid with Emilie and Hennriette
Lasemann, a tanner, father-in-law of Otto Brunswick
(brother-in-law of Otto Brunswick in Harman edition) The village tanner that offers a few hours shelter to K. during on his first full day in the village.
Gerstacker, a Coachman Initially suspicious of K. but gives him a free sleigh back to the Bridge Inn after refusing to provide a ride to the castle. At the end of the book attempts to befriend K. since he believes K. has clout with Erlanger.
Seemann, the Fire Company chief The fire chief that strips Barnabas' father of his fireman diploma after Barnabas' family falls into shame from Amalia's rude treatment of Sortini's Messenger.
Major themes
Theological
It is well documented that Brod's original construction was based on religious themes and this was furthered by the Muirs in their translations. But it has not ended with the Critical Editions. Numerous interpretations have been made with a variety of theological angles.
One interpretation of K.'s struggle to contact the castle is that it represents a man's search for salvation. According to Mark Harman, translator of a recent edition of The Castle, this was the interpretation favored by the original translators Willa and Edwin Muir, who produced the first English volume in 1925. Harman feels he has removed the bias in the translations toward this view, but many still feel this is the point of the book.
Fueling the biblical interpretations of the novel are the various names and situations. For example, the official Galater (the German word for Galatians), one of the initial regions to develop a strong Christian following from the work of Apostle Paul and his assistant Barnabas. The name of the messenger, Barnabas, for the same reason. Even the Critical Editions naming of the beginning chapter, "Arrival", among other things liken K. to an Old Testament messiah.
Abuse of power
While in talking to Olga in (Chapter XVII, "Amalia's Secret") K. himself ridicules the officials, in general, based on Sortini's "abuse of power" in requesting Amalia to come to the Gentleman's Inn. K. caught, once again, in not understanding the customs of the village is shocked at the behavior of Sortini. Olga expresses the "heroic" actions of Amalia, but appears too understanding of the community's acceptance of the status quo when it comes to the solicitations by the officials.
Bureaucracy
The obvious thread throughout The Castle is bureaucracy. The extreme degree is nearly comical and the village residents' justifications of it are amazing. Hence it is no surprise that many feel that the work is a direct result of the political situation of the era in which it was written, which was shot through with anti-Semitism, remnants of the Habsburg bureaucracy, etc.
But even in these analyses, the veiled references to more sensitive issues are pointed out. For instance, the treatment of the Barnabas family, with their requirement to first prove guilt before they could request a pardon from it and the way their fellow villagers desert them have been pointed out as a direct reference to the anti-Semitic climate at the time.
Allusions to other works
Critics often talk of The Castle and The Trial in concert, highlighting the struggle of the protagonist against a bureaucratic system and standing before the law's door unable to enter as in the parable of the priest in The Trial.
In spite of motifs common with other works of Kafka, The Castle is quite different from The Trial. While K., the main hero of The Castle, faces similar uncertainty and difficulty in grasping the reality that suddenly surrounds him; Josef K., the protagonist of The Trial, seems to be more experienced and emotionally stronger. On the other hand, while Josef K.'s surroundings stay familiar even when strange events befall him, K. finds himself in a new world whose laws and rules are unfamiliar to him.
Publication history
Harman translation
In 1926 Max Brod persuaded Kurt Wolff Verlag to publish the first German edition of The Castle. Due to its unfinished nature and his desire to get Kafka's work published, Max Brod took some editorial freedom.
In 1961 Malcolm Pasley was able to gain control of the manuscript, along with most of the other Kafka writings (save The Trial) and had it placed in the Oxford's Bodleian library. There, Pasley headed a team of scholars and recompiled Kafka's works into the Critical Edition. The Castle Critical Edition, in German, consists of two volumes—the novel in one volume and the fragments, deletions and editor's notes in a second volume. They were published by S. Fischer Verlag in 1982, hence occasionally referred to as the "Fischer Editions".
Mark Harman used the first volume of this set to create the 1998 edition of The Castle, often refer to as based on the "Restored Text" or the "English Critical Edition".
The lack of the fragments and missing text would have little meaning to most readers if the Muir translation did not let one know that there was more to read. The casual reader may not find the additional text of value, which Harman mentions that he has not included the text. According to the Publisher's Note:
"We decided to omit the variants and passages deleted by Kafka that are included in Pasley's second volume, even though variants can indeed shed light on the genesis of literary texts. The chief objective of this new edition, which is intended for the general public, is to present the text in a form that is as close as possible to the state in which the author left the manuscript."
Harman has received general acceptance of his translation as being technically accurate and true to the original German. He has, though, received criticism for, at times not creating the prosaic form of Kafka. Some of this is due, as with Muir's translations, on accusations that Pasley compilations are also inaccurate, although better than Brod's.
As noted in the Table of Contents above, Harman includes an eleven page discussion on his philosophy behind the translation. This section provides significant information about the method he used and his thought process. There are numerous examples of passages from Pasley, Muir's translation and his translation to provide the reader with a better feel for the work. As referenced above, some feel that his (and the publisher's) praise for his work and his "patronizing" of the Muirs goes a little too far.
Muir translation
In 1930 Willa and Edwin Muir translated the First German edition of The Castle as it was compiled by Max Brod. It was published by Secker & Warburg in England and Alfred A. Knopf in the United States. 1941 edition was the edition that fed the Kafka post-war craze. The 1941 edition included a homage by Thomas Mann.
In 1954 the "Definitive" edition was published and included additional sections Brod had added to the Schocken Definitive German edition. The new sections were translated by Eithne Wilkins and Ernst Kaiser. Some edits were made in the Muir text namely the changes were "Town Council" to "Village Council", "Superintendent" to "Mayor", "Clients" to "Applicants" .
The 1994 edition, the current publication, contains a preface by Irving Howe.
The Muir translations make use of wording that is often considered "spiritual" in nature. In one notable example, the Muirs translate the description of the castle as "soaring unfalteringly" where Harman uses "tapered decisively". Furthermore, the word "illusory" is used from the opening paragraph forward. Some critics note this as further evidence of the bias in the translation leaning toward a mystical interpretation.
Underwood translation
A translation by J. A. Underwood was published in 1997 and 2000 (ISBN 0-14-018504-6) by Penguin in the UK.
Adaptations
The book was adapted by German director Rudolf Noelte into a film released in 1968. It was also filmed by Austrian director Michael Haneke in 1997 under the original German title Das Schloß, starring Ulrich Mühe as K. There is a 1994 Russian movie adaptation, The Castle, directed by Aleksei Balabanov. Another less-well-known adaptation was also made in Russia in 1994, called The Land Surveyor (Землемер). It was a 46-minute-long animation created at Diogen Studio and directed by Dmitriy Naumov and Valentin Telegin. . A 120-minute-long French radio adaptation, written by Stephane Michaka and directed by Cedric Aussir, was aired by France Culture in 2010.
Allusions to The Castle in other works
A story similar to that of The Castle is told in the British television series The Prisoner. In the late 1970s, an unlicensed computer game spin-off of The Prisoner took things one step further by incorporating elements of The Castle into the game play.
The novel Oficina Número 1 (Office Number 1) by Venezuelan writer Miguel Otero Silva has one character reading The Castle, and although never referred to by name, describes several parts of it.
The Castle is also referred to in Lawrence Thornton's Imagining Argentina. A professor is arrested under suspicion of subversive activities. He tells the authorities he has been meeting Dostoevsky, Koestler and Camus at a place called "the Castle". The main character's cat is also named Kafka.
Although not expressly stated as such, the Steven Soderbergh film Kafka from 1991, starring Jeremy Irons, incorporates the basic thematic elements of The Castle as well as allusions to Kafka's own life as a writer and his collected works. The title character, "Kafka", an insurance company clerk by day and a writer by night, lives and works in the shadow of the mysterious Castle, which rules over the life and death of the local citizenry through a seemingly incomprehensibly complex conspiracy of bureaucracy and cover-ups.
Iain Banks's novel Walking on Glass has characters who find themselves in a situation similar to K.'s: trapped in a castle, subject to arbitrary and bizarre rules which they must obey in order to find a way of leaving, and surrounded by "servants" who comply entirely with the rules by which the castle is run. The allusion is made specific in one of the final chapters, where reading The Castle (along with The Trial and Titus Groan) is hinted at as a key to the characters' escape from their own castle.
K., the protagonist of J.M. Coetzee's The Life and Times of Michael K, attempts to live simply outside the governing system of war torn South Africa.[citation needed]
African-American author Richard Wright references The Castle in his autobiography Black Boy.
Japanese game designer Suda51, creator of No More Heroes, is planning to make a game based on The Castle, titled Kuriyami
A world in the children's Nintendo DS game Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter, the Galactic Jungle, presents the player with a stubborn bureaucracy not unlike the one portrayed in the novel.
Gene Wolfe's novel There Are Doors contains numerous references to The Castle throughout, including a high-placed official known as Klamm, several characters referred to as "Herr K.," and an actual copy of Das Schloss found nailed to a table within a dream.
Argentinian writer Ernesto Sabato is said to be influenced by Kafka's existentialism. The main character in his novelle, "The Tunnel", is named Castel, presumably after Kafka's story title.
迫於父親的壓力，他學習法律，後入一傢私人保險公司任低薪職員，一直湮沒在人群之中。他一生三次訂婚，又三次解除婚約，其中原因之一就是怕結婚會破壞他已經習慣的孤獨生活。後來他患上肺結核病，更使他遠離熱鬧的塵世生活，沉浸在自己孤獨的內心世界中。
這個孤僻的小職員的最大愛好就是寫作，他那敏感、怯懦的性格和孤僻、憂鬱的氣質確實適合做一個作傢。卡夫卡業餘創作的大部分作品在他生前一直鎖在抽屜裏，少量面世的短篇小說還不足讓他一鳴驚人，而且對他的同時代人來說，他的小說太超前了，當時的人們遠未有能力體驗卡夫卡獨特而奇怪的荒謬感。他病逝後遺留下大量手稿。
二戰之後，世界在廢墟上重建，戰爭所帶來的人類心靈深重的陰影，使人們不約而同地把目光轉嚮了30年前死去的無名作傢卡夫卡，他及其作品在西方世界掀起了一股熱潮，人們像投票選舉政界要員一樣把他列為現代派小說傢的第一候選人。
推薦閱讀版本：湯永寬譯，武漢大學出版社出版。
《城堡》-內容精要
一個寒冷的鼕天的夜晚，土地測量員K來到了一個村子，他的目的是要前往村子附近的那座城堡去執行公務。當K在村口遙望城堡時，他感到籠罩在夜色之中的城堡，如同一片空洞虛無的幻景，這樣的感覺似乎預示着他的任務不是那麽容易完成的。
他前往客店投宿，可是客店老闆對他的到來有點不知所措。他告訴K已經客滿了，衹好把K勉強安頓下來。客店裏的人得知K要去城堡，都用特別的眼神看他。一位年輕人告訴K，每個進入城堡的人都必須得有一張許可證，而要想得到許可證，就必須去找城堡裏的伯爵。
第二天，K走嚮城堡，可是耗費了一整天的時間他也無法靠近城堡一步。天色暗下來，他衹好先去找棲身之處。找來找去，又回到了昨天晚上的那傢客店。在搭雪橇前往客店的途中，他遇到了兩個自稱是他的助手的人。他們非常熱情地幫助 K，並且用電話聯絡城堡裏的辦事機構，詢問具體何時能上城堡去，對方回答：“任何時候都不能來。”
這時，來了一位叫巴納巴斯的人，他是城堡的信使，K對他的來到十分興奮，認為他可以成為自己和城堡聯繫的中間人。巴納巴斯給他帶來了城堡的信，信裏既沒有對K的到來表示歡迎，也沒有暗示他趕快離開。事情依舊毫無轉機。K和信使一道去了他傢，信使的妹妹又表示她可以幫助K，於是把 K送進了一傢旅館，她告訴K，城堡的頭面人物剋拉姆住在那裏，可以藉機找剋拉姆打通關節。
在旅館的酒吧裏，K認識了剋拉姆的情婦弗麗達，K頓時使出渾身解數試圖靠近弗麗達，然而旅館裏的人不停地添亂，助手們也在一邊添亂，使他無法和弗麗達親密地談一談關於剋拉姆。他甚至用與弗麗達結婚的許諾想換得跟剋拉姆談一次話的機會。但K最終發現弗麗達這條路是走不通的，因為她和信使一樣，是個無關緊要的小人物，她早已失寵。
K去見村長，村長告訴他，K來到村子完全是個錯誤，因為這裏根本用不着土地測量員。城堡裏不同部門彼此封閉，造成了一些差錯，所以K纔會收到公文，然而這份公文是早已無效的。村長承認他在幾年前收到一個招聘一位土地測量員的公文，然而他無論如何找不到那張可以證明K合法身份的薄紙片。村長表達了自己對這件事情的看法，他覺得K收到的公文其實是一封某個主管，比如剋拉姆，對他表示私人關心的的信，不能代表城堡的意見，因此K應當趁早回去。
K感到受騙上當了，但他堅持要求得到他應得的權利，那就是找一個住處，安頓他和弗麗達的新傢。客棧老闆一心想趕走K，K臨走前，又從老闆娘那裏聽到了關於她和剋拉姆舊情的回憶，這使K感到很不舒服，因為他不由自主地想到了自己的未婚妻。
這時村裏學校的教師奉村長之命前來，允許K帶傢眷住進學校任看門人，同時他也強調，學校其實並不需要一個看門人，他完全遵從村長的命令。K感到受到了侮辱，他拒絶了這份工作。可弗麗達堅持K接受它，她說如果K不接受，連個安身之處都沒有，那麽這對K對她自己都是十分羞愧的事情。
K對於進入城堡仍然抱着最後的希望，這已經不單純是執行公務，而是有關個人尊嚴的問題。他冒雪來到剋拉姆的旅館，女招待說這會兒剋拉姆正準備離開旅館，雪橇已在院子裏等着他，K二話沒話，守到雪橇邊，喝着白蘭地等剋拉姆出來。和以前一樣，剋拉姆本人永遠不會出現，他的秘書摩麥斯出來告訴K： “不管你跟我走或者留在這裏，你都不會見到他。”K反而陷入了進退兩難的地步，如果他離開，周圍人的神色舉止裏就表明剋拉姆就此脫身了；如果他堅持等下去，顯然也是沒有結果的。秘書拿出一份會談記錄，K指出這是引K走嚮剋拉姆的惟一道路，但首先K必須接受一番苛刻的審查，K覺得不可忍受，於是他們兩人大笑着分別了。
《城堡》作傢卡夫卡
信使巴納巴斯又帶來了剋拉姆的一封信，剋拉姆贊賞了K及其助手的測量工作，這使K睏惑不已，他至今為止從未幹什麽測量工作，每天做的事情就是在等待爭取城堡的許可。K開始懷疑信使的可靠，但他仍托巴納巴斯帶去一個回音，申訴自己焦灼地渴盼見到剋拉姆一面的心情。
之後K回到他和弗麗達的新傢，那是學校裏的一間大教室，可是K和弗麗達的生活並不安寧。兩個助手不停地淘氣，爭食物，瞅準機會睡到惟一的稻草墊子上去。第二天，學校的女教師來了，她十分吃驚，繼而不斷地責駡 K，K幾乎像個劣等動物一樣被欺辱，可他决不接受校方的解職通知。他遷怒於兩位無用的助手，宣佈辭退他們，助手們施出渾身氣力哀求K。弗麗達反對K的决定，她說一旦辭退助手，K就永遠沒有機會見到剋拉姆了。弗麗達鼓勵K不要喪失信心。
K 來到信使傢等待回音，信使的姐妹奧爾伽和阿瑪麗亞總嚮K暗示她們的傾慕之情，並且在閑聊中，暗示K，她們的哥哥巴納巴斯可能從未見過剋拉姆，他總是給K帶來那些耽誤了很久，失去時效的信。就連剋拉姆本人，也是可疑的，關於剋拉姆的種種情況，很大程度上是村裏人想象出來的。奧爾伽又告訴K，城堡裏的官員如同暴君，他們可以隨時瞧上村裏的任何姑娘，給她們寫下流無比的信。他們的談話離正題越來越遠，奧爾伽講起了阿瑪麗亞因為拒絶城堡裏另一位大官員索爾蒂尼的求愛而遭受的不幸，他們全家都被迫接受了一種幾乎整天無所事事的刑罰，城堡強製他們退出社會生活。奧爾伽提醒K，不要指望任何一位有同情心的官員為他說話。巴納巴斯為K送信，其實不過是想讓自己一傢人不露痕跡地再受恩寵，對於K來說，沒有任何意義。這場繁冗而推心置腹的談話被K的一位助手打斷了，K很快意識到弗麗達和另一位助手呆在傢裏，他趕緊回傢了。
到傢裏，K發現弗麗達不見了。原來她以為K跑去勾搭巴納巴斯的姐妹，於是和另一個助手達成協議，背叛K。這時，巴納巴斯又跑來找K，興衝衝地通知他，剋拉姆的主要秘書之一艾朗格要和K當面談一談。K和一群人等候在漆黑的旅館門口，K被最先領了進去，但艾朗格卻睡着了，K衹好等着。在等待的時候，他又重新見到了弗麗達，他們激烈爭論了忠實與不忠實的問題。弗麗達坦然地告訴K，她已經和那位助手同居了。K則十分平靜地回敬她：自從你相繼失去了剋拉姆的情婦以及我的未婚妻這兩種身份之後，你早已經沒有了魅力。聽完此話後，弗麗達似乎被觸動了。但是她又見到助手時，馬上就改變主意。她說：她再也不想回到K身邊接受他的折磨。
小說就在此處戛然而止，卡夫卡未寫完它，他原來打算的結尾是K將精疲力竭而死。後世及研究者預計的結局是：K彌留之際，城堡終於來了通知，允許K留在村子裏，但不許進入城堡，K永遠不可能到達那裏，一直到死。
《城堡》-專傢點評
當一個作傢不能被他同時代的人所理解時，他會怎樣處理自己的作品。卡夫卡選擇的是毀滅。他在遺書中委托好友布羅德將其所有作品“毫無保留地，讀也不必讀就統統予以焚毀”。萬幸布羅德自作主張將卡夫卡的遺稿保存下來，整理出版，這一次明智的“背信棄義”使我們今天依舊能一睹卡夫卡這位文學大師一生勤奮的成果。
人們提到卡夫卡，總是會提起他的《變形記》，裏面的小公務員一早起來發現自己變成了一個大甲蟲。西方文學中常常用《變形記》來指代現代化文明中人的異化。然而在這裏所推薦的《城堡》，因其多義性更富於閱讀的快樂。中篇小說《城堡》與《審判》及《美國》合稱“卡夫卡三部麯”，它們都具有卡夫卡小說一貫的荒誕不經風格：異化現象，難以排遣的孤獨和危機感，無法剋服的荒誕和恐懼。卡夫卡的小說揭示了一種荒誕的充滿非理性色彩的景象，個人式的、憂鬱的、孤獨的情緒，運用的是象徵式的手法。其中《城堡》更富於“卡夫卡式”的構思和語言風格。
和卡夫卡的其他小說一樣，《城堡》沒有惟一正確的解釋，解釋權授予了每個閱讀者，這來源於這部作品的多義性。表面上，這作品的故事再簡單不過了，一個土地測量員K來到一個村莊，想進入管轄附近地區的伯爵居住的城堡，他費了九牛二虎之力，攤上一切也沒能達到目的。《城堡》所具有的荒謬、虛擬，無明確的時代地理背景的特徵使它抹上很濃的寓言色彩，無論評論傢還是普通讀者都能夠獲得不同的結論，《城堡》究竟表達了怎樣的主題，這終了還是一個難解之謎，有人說它表現的是“人試圖進入天國而不得的痛苦”；有人則認為它集中反映了卡夫卡本人的精神世界的荒誕、孤獨與恐懼；有人則結合寫作年代背景，說明城堡實際上反映了奧匈帝國官僚體製與大衆的鴻溝，更有論者以為，《城堡》和《審判》、《美國》的主題相同，即“人們所追求的真理，不管是自由、安定，還是法律，都是存在的，但這個荒誕的世界給人們設置了種種障礙，無論你怎麽努力， 總是追求不到， 最後衹能以失敗告終。” 在《城堡》中，“城堡”是最大的謎團，它與主人公K的目標總是若即若離，也正因此，能夠激起人們相當的閱讀興趣，其中的人物如CC伯爵，以至於剋拉姆部長等都神秘莫測，足以見卡夫卡這位小說傢的天才的智慧。
《城堡》小說傢卡夫卡
閱讀卡夫卡的小說，對每一個讀者來說都是挑戰。他喜歡長句子，字裏行間充滿了大量的暗喻，他用文字堆起了一個個迷宮。讀者會在穿行文字時遇到極大的阻力。然而當你習慣他的文字風格後，你會發現，原先的阻力變成了動力，帶給你閱讀的快感。
1913年8月15日，卡夫卡在自己的日記裏寫道：“我將不顧一切地與所有人隔絶，與所有人敵對，不同任何人講話。”6天後他又這樣寫道：“現在我在我的家庭裏，在那些最好的、最親愛的人們中間，比一個陌生人還要陌生。近年來我和我的母親平均每天說不上20句話；和我的父親除了有時彼此寒暄幾句幾乎就沒有更多的話可說；和我的已婚的妹妹和妹夫們除了跟他們生氣我壓根兒就不說話。理由很簡單：我和他們沒有任何一丁點兒的事情要說。一切不是文學的事情都使我無聊， 叫我憎恨”三年之後，這個不僅和整個世界格格不入，而且也和自己格格不入的猶太人，雖然尚未進入完全與世隔絶的城堡，卻終於從家庭裏逃出，為自己找到了一條窄得像西服袖子一樣的幽深的死巷。這就是如今在布拉格頗為知名的黃金巷、又譯為“煉金術士巷”。黃金巷22號的連棟屋中間，有座建於16世紀的、衹有一個房間和一間小閣樓的小小藍屋，墻壁很薄，房捨低矮得伸手便可觸及天花板。這是被他的好友馬剋斯·布羅德稱之為“一個真正的作傢的修道士般的密室”的處所。卡夫卡在這裏繼續用謎一般的文字構築着自己靈魂的城堡。
《城堡》卡夫卡及傢人
在卡夫卡的世界裏，噩夢永遠沒有醒來的時候，在荒誕的、不合邏輯的世界裏描繪“人類生活的一切活動及其逼真的細節”，這正是作為小說傢的卡夫卡的天賦所在，當我們讀到《變形記》、《城堡》、《審判》等作品時，簡直就像面對着一尊尊充滿力量的雕塑，你能從那極度的變形與誇張裏體會到生命的悸動與衝突。對於卡夫卡自己來說，生存就是一場必須“恰當運用自己的力量（因為我們的力量永遠是有限的）”的抗爭。雖然前途黯淡，但前途畢竟終會到來。通過寫作這一形式卡夫卡為自己的抗爭找到了存在的形象。從卡夫卡自己的書信與日記，我們也許能領會到那無窮無盡的力量源泉，他這樣寫道：“不要絶望，甚至對你並不感到絶望這一點也不要絶望。恰恰在似乎一切都完了的時候，新的力量畢竟來臨，給你以幫助，而這正表明你是活着的。”“一場傾盆大雨。站立着面對這場大雨吧！讓它的鋼鐵般的光芒刺穿你。你在那想把你衝走的雨水中飄浮，但你還是要堅持，昂首屹立，等待那即將來臨的無窮無盡的陽光的照耀。”令人吃驚的是，它們竟然帶着這樣一些姿態：憂傷、理解、痛苦、謙卑，卡夫卡由此走嚮了無限深淵。最終他完成了對自己的塑造：他成為無限深淵中惟一裸行的思想者。卡夫卡的道路是對抗之路，他與存在於他身邊的世界和秩序一直是抗爭着的，藝術或者說文學寫作是他對抗外部荒誕世界的惟一武器，他別無選擇。雖然在此期間，他極度渴望實現藝術與現實的統一，甚至他個人與外部世界有過短暫的統一，但這種統一也是一瞬即逝的，表面和形式上的。他也渴望有自己的家庭，但他害怕家庭損害他的寫作；他也像凡夫俗子一樣，渴望有自己的孩子，做一名好父親，但直到他有一個已長到7歲纔夭折的孩子。
卡夫卡生前默默無聞，孤獨地奮鬥，隨着時間的流逝，他的價值纔逐漸為人們所認識，作品引起了世界的震動，並在世界範圍內形成一股“卡夫卡”熱，經久不衰。他一生的作品並不多，但對後世文學的影響卻是極為深遠的。他與法國作傢馬賽爾·普魯斯特、愛爾蘭作傢詹姆斯·喬伊斯並稱為西方現代主義文學的先驅和大師。美國詩人奧登認為：“他與我們時代的關係最近似但丁、莎士比亞、歌德與他們時代的關係。”後世的許多現代主義文學流派如“荒誕派戲劇”、法國的“新小說”等都把卡夫卡奉為自己的鼻祖。
關於卡夫卡，我們還可以說上很多很多。據說在現代文學的研究中，關於卡夫卡的論文數量之大，僅僅打印題目就需要幾十頁。但是，理解卡夫卡最好的方法，就是進入他的文字世界，安靜地傾聽他通過語言表達的內心。這不正是我們現在這個浮躁的現代文明所缺少的嗎？
《城堡》-妙語佳句
他真要以為外面是灰色的天空與灰色的土地渾然一體的荒漠世界了。
可是如果這一切的平靜、舒適與滿足都要想恐怖地告一段落，那該怎麽辦呢？
History of the novel
Kafka began writing The Castle on the evening of January 27, 1922, the day he arrived at the mountain resort of Spindlermühle (now in the Czech Republic). A picture taken of him upon his arrival shows him by a horse-drawn sleigh in the snow in a setting reminiscent of The Castle. Hence, the significance that the first few chapters of the handwritten manuscript were written in first person and at some point later changed by Kafka to a third person narrator, 'K.'
Max Brod
Kafka died prior to finishing The Castle and it is questionable whether Kafka intended on finishing it if he had survived his tuberculosis. On separate occasions he told his friend Max Brod of two different conditions: K., the book's protagonist, would continue to reside and die in the village; the castle notifying him on his death bed that his "legal claim to live in the village was not valid, yet, taking certain auxiliary circumstances into account, he was permitted to live and work there" , but then on September 11, 1922 in a letter to Max Brod, he said he was giving up on the book and would never return to it. As it is, the book ends mid-sentence.
Although Brod was instructed by Kafka to destroy all his works on his death, he did not and set about publishing Kafka's writings. The Castle was originally published in German in 1926 by the publisher Kurt Wolff Verlag of Munich. This edition sold far less than the 1500 copies that were printed. It was republished in 1935 by Schocken Verlag in Berlin, and in 1946 by Schocken Books of New York.
Brod had to heavily edit the work to ready it for publication. His goal was to gain acceptance of the work and the author, not to maintain the structure of Kafka's writing. This would play heavily in the future of the translations and continues to be the center of discussion on the text. Brod donated the manuscript to Oxford University.
Brod placed a strong religious significance to the symbolism of the castle. This is one possible interpretation of the work based on numerous Judeo-Christian references as noted by many including Arnold Heidsieck.
Malcolm Pasley
The publisher, Salmen Schocken, soon realized the translations were "bad" and in 1940 desired a "completely different approach". In 1961 Malcolm Pasley got access to all of Kafka's works, except The Trial, and deposited them in Oxford's Bodleian library. Pasley and a team of scholars (Gerhard Neumann, Malcolm Pasley, Jost Schillemeit, and Jürgen Born) started publishing the works in 1982 through S. Fischer Verlag. Das Schloß was published that year as a two volume set — the novel in the first volume, and the fragments, deletions and editor's notes in a second volume. This team restored the original German text to its full, and incomplete state, including the unique Kafka punctuation considered critical to the style.
Stroemfeld/Roter Stern
Interpretations of Kafka's intent for the manuscript are ongoing. Stroemfeld/Roter Stern Verlag is working for the rights to publish another critical edition with manuscript and transcription side-by-side. But they have met with resistance from the Kafka heirs and Pasley. This edition is not yet available.
Major editions
* 1930 Translators: Willa and Edwin Muir. Based on the First German edition, by Max Brod. Published By Secker & Warburg in England and Alfred A. Knopf in the United States.
* 1941 Translators: Willa and Edwin Muir. Edition include an Homage by Thomas Mann.
* 1954 Translators: Willa and Edwin Muir additional sections translated by Eithne Wilkins and Ernst Kaiser. "Definitive edition". Based on the Schocken 1951 Definitive edition .
* 1994 Translators: Muir, et al. Preface by Irving Howe.
* 1997 Translator: J. A. Underwood, Introduction: Idris Parry. Based on Pasley Critical German Text.
* 1998 Translator: Mark Harman Based on Pasley Critical German Text.
The title
The title, Das Schloß, may be translated as "the castle" or "the lock". It is also similar to Der Schluß (close or end). The castle is locked and closed to K and the townspeople; neither can gain access.
Plot
The narrator, K. arrives in the village, governed by the castle. When seeking shelter at the town inn, he gives himself out to be a land surveyor summoned by the castle authorities. He is quickly notified that his castle contact is an official named Klamm, who, in the introductory note, informs K. he will report to the Council Chairman.
The Council Chairman informs K. that, through a mix up in communication between the castle and the village, he was erroneously requested but, trying to accommodate K., the Council Chairman offers him a position in the service of the school teacher as a janitor. Meanwhile, K., unfamiliar with the customs, bureaucracy and processes of the village, continues to attempt to reach the official Klamm, who is not accessible.
The villagers hold the officials and the castle in the highest regard, justifying, quite elaborately at times, the actions of the officials, even though they do not appear to know what officials do or why they do it; they simply defend it. The number of assumptions and justifications about the functions of the officials and their dealings are enumerated through lengthy monologues of the villagers. Everyone appears to have an explanation for the official's actions that appear to be founded on assumptions and gossip. One of the more obvious contradictions between the "official word" and the village conception is the dissertation by the secretary Erlanger on Frieda's required return to service as a barmaid. K. is the only villager that knows that the request is being forced by the castle (even though Frieda may be the genesis), with no regard for anyone in the village, only Klamm. Pepi and Jeremiah quickly come to their conclusions and do not hesitate to state them.
The castle is the ultimate bureaucracy with copious paperwork that the bureaucracy maintains is "flawless". This flawlessness is of course a lie; it is a flaw in the paperwork that has brought K. to the village. There are other failures of the system which are occasionally referred to. K. witnesses a flagrant misprocessing after his nighttime interrogation by Erlanger as a servant destroys paperwork when he cannot determine who the recipient should be.
The castle's occupants appear to be all adult men and there is little reference to the castle other than to its bureaucratic functions. The two notable instances are the reference to a fire brigade and that Otto Brunswick's wife is self declared as from the castle. The latter builds the importance of Hans (Otto's son) in K's eyes, as a way to gain access to the castle officials.
The functions of the officials are never mentioned. The officials that are discussed have one or more secretaries that do their work in their village. Although the officials come to the village they do not interact with the villagers unless they need female companionship, implied to be sexual.
Characters
Note: The Muir translations refer to the Herrenhof Inn where the Harman translations translate this to the Gentleman's Inn. Below all references to the inn where the officials stay in the village is the Herrenhof Inn since this was the first, and potentially more widely read, translation.
Character Description
K., the Land-Surveyor The protagonist of the story, recognized as a land surveyor, employed as the school janitor, and a stranger to the townspeople. He spends most of the novel trying to overcome the bureaucracy of the village and to contact the castle official Klamm.
Frieda A former barmaid at the Herrenhof, who is K.'s fiancée for most of the novel. She often finds herself torn between her duty to K. and her fears regarding his over-zealousness. She eventually leaves K. and ends up in the arms of his former assistant, Jeremiah (who has since become a waitperson at the Herrenhof).
Hans, landlord
(Bridge Inn) Nephew of the original owner of the inn. According to his wife, Gardena, he is lazy and overly nice to K.
Gardena, landlady
(Bridge Inn) The self proclaimed firebrand of the Bridge Inn she is a former short-term mistress to Klamm and very distrustful of K.'s motives. She remains infatuated with Klamm.
Barnabas, a messenger A messenger of the castle assigned to K. He is new to the service. K. is instructed to use him to communicate with the official Klamm. He is very immature and sensitive.
Arthur and Jeremiah, K's assistants
(Artur and Jeremias in Harman edition) Shortly after his arrival in the village, K. is given two assistants to help him with his various needs. They are a continual source of frustration for him, however, and he eventually drives them from his service through his brutal treatment. They have been assigned to K., to make him happy, by the official Galater who was deputizing for Klamm at the time.
Mayor/Superintendent
(Village Council Chairman in Harman edition) Assigned by Klamm to give K. his assignment and hence is his superior. He explains to K why he is not needed as a land surveyor. He offers K. the job of school janitor to the dismay of the Teacher.
Mizzi, the mayor's wife The wife and assistant of the Mayor, Gardena refers to her as the one who does the work.
Klamm An elusive castle official who is K.'s Castle Authority. Like the other Castle officials in the book, his actual area of expertise is never mentioned. K. spends a large portion of the novel trying to secure a meeting with Klamm. K., it seems, fixes many of his hopes for a successful resolution to his problems upon this meeting with Klamm. He has at least two secretaries—Erlanger (First Secretary) and Momus.
In Czech (and Kafka was able to speak and read/write Czech) "klam" means "illusion."
Momus, Klamm's secretary Handles all written work for and receives all petitions to Klamm. He is also secretary for Vallabne, who is not mentioned again in the novel.
Erlanger, Klamm's secretary The First Secretary of Klamm who is sent to "interrogate" K, but only gives him a short message.
Olga, Barnabas' sister The older sister of Amalia and Barnabas. She helps K. on his quest, partly by telling him the story of why her family is considered outcasts and by teaching him some of the village customs.
Amalia, Barnabas' sister Younger sister of Barnabas and Olga. She was disgraced in the village after rudely turning down a summons from the castle official Sortini for sexual favors.
Barnabas' Father The father of Olga, Amalia and Barnabas. Past village cobbler and notable fireman. After Amalia's disgraceful interactions with Sortini's messenger, his business is ruined and he is stripped of his fire credentials
Barnabas' Mother The mother of Olga, Amalia and Barnabas.
Otto Brunswick, son-in-law of Lasemann
(brother-in-law of Lasemann in Harman edition) Hans Brunswick's father. Opportunistically takes over Barnabas' father's customers as the Barnabas family falls into disrepute from Amalia's rude treatment of Sortini's Messenger. According to the Mayor, Brunswick was the only person in the village that desired that a land surveyor be hired. No reason for this is given.
Frau Brunswick Hans Brunswick's Mother. She refers to herself as "from the castle" and is the only reference to a female at the castle.
Hans, a sympathetic Student A student at the school where K is a janitor. Offers to help K and K uses him to attempt to find ways to get to the castle through his mother.
Herrenhof Landlord Landlord of the Herrenhof Inn.
Herrenhof Landlady Well dressed landlady at the Herrenhof Inn. Seems to be the matriarch of the Inn (as is Gardena at the Bridge Inn). Is distrustful of K.
Galater He is the castle official that assigned the assistants to K. He was also "rescued" by Barnabas' father in a minor fire at the Herrenhof Inn.
Brügel
(Bürgel in Harman edition) A Secretary of a castle official, Friedrich. Friedrich is not mentioned again in the book, but in deleted text is referred to as an official who is falling out of favor. Brügel is a long winded secretary who muses about Castle interrogations with K, when the latter errantly enters his room at the Herrenhof Inn.
Sordini Castle secretary who exhaustively manages any transactions at the castle for his department and is suspicious of any potential error.
Sortini Castle official associated with the village fire brigade who solicits Amalia with a sexually explicit and rude request to come to his room at the Herrenhof.
Teacher When K. becomes the janitor at the school, the teacher becomes K.'s de facto superior. He does not approve of K. working at the school, but does not appear to have the authority to terminate K's appointment.
Miss Gisa, the school mistress The assistant school teacher who is courted by Schwarzer and also dislikes K.
Schwarzer An under-castellan's son who appears to have given up living in the castle to court Miss Gisa and become her student teacher.
Pepi A former chamber maid who is promoted to Frieda's barmaid position when the latter leaves her position at the Herrenhoff to live with K. She was a chambermaid with Emilie and Hennriette
Lasemann, a tanner, father-in-law of Otto Brunswick
(brother-in-law of Otto Brunswick in Harman edition) The village tanner that offers a few hours shelter to K. during on his first full day in the village.
Gerstacker, a Coachman Initially suspicious of K. but gives him a free sleigh back to the Bridge Inn after refusing to provide a ride to the castle. At the end of the book attempts to befriend K. since he believes K. has clout with Erlanger.
Seemann, the Fire Company chief The fire chief that strips Barnabas' father of his fireman diploma after Barnabas' family falls into shame from Amalia's rude treatment of Sortini's Messenger.
Major themes
Theological
It is well documented that Brod's original construction was based on religious themes and this was furthered by the Muirs in their translations. But it has not ended with the Critical Editions. Numerous interpretations have been made with a variety of theological angles.
One interpretation of K.'s struggle to contact the castle is that it represents a man's search for salvation. According to Mark Harman, translator of a recent edition of The Castle, this was the interpretation favored by the original translators Willa and Edwin Muir, who produced the first English volume in 1925. Harman feels he has removed the bias in the translations toward this view, but many still feel this is the point of the book.
Fueling the biblical interpretations of the novel are the various names and situations. For example, the official Galater (the German word for Galatians), one of the initial regions to develop a strong Christian following from the work of Apostle Paul and his assistant Barnabas. The name of the messenger, Barnabas, for the same reason. Even the Critical Editions naming of the beginning chapter, "Arrival", among other things liken K. to an Old Testament messiah.
Abuse of power
While in talking to Olga in (Chapter XVII, "Amalia's Secret") K. himself ridicules the officials, in general, based on Sortini's "abuse of power" in requesting Amalia to come to the Gentleman's Inn. K. caught, once again, in not understanding the customs of the village is shocked at the behavior of Sortini. Olga expresses the "heroic" actions of Amalia, but appears too understanding of the community's acceptance of the status quo when it comes to the solicitations by the officials.
Bureaucracy
The obvious thread throughout The Castle is bureaucracy. The extreme degree is nearly comical and the village residents' justifications of it are amazing. Hence it is no surprise that many feel that the work is a direct result of the political situation of the era in which it was written, which was shot through with anti-Semitism, remnants of the Habsburg bureaucracy, etc.
But even in these analyses, the veiled references to more sensitive issues are pointed out. For instance, the treatment of the Barnabas family, with their requirement to first prove guilt before they could request a pardon from it and the way their fellow villagers desert them have been pointed out as a direct reference to the anti-Semitic climate at the time.
Allusions to other works
Critics often talk of The Castle and The Trial in concert, highlighting the struggle of the protagonist against a bureaucratic system and standing before the law's door unable to enter as in the parable of the priest in The Trial.
In spite of motifs common with other works of Kafka, The Castle is quite different from The Trial. While K., the main hero of The Castle, faces similar uncertainty and difficulty in grasping the reality that suddenly surrounds him; Josef K., the protagonist of The Trial, seems to be more experienced and emotionally stronger. On the other hand, while Josef K.'s surroundings stay familiar even when strange events befall him, K. finds himself in a new world whose laws and rules are unfamiliar to him.
Publication history
Harman translation
In 1926 Max Brod persuaded Kurt Wolff Verlag to publish the first German edition of The Castle. Due to its unfinished nature and his desire to get Kafka's work published, Max Brod took some editorial freedom.
In 1961 Malcolm Pasley was able to gain control of the manuscript, along with most of the other Kafka writings (save The Trial) and had it placed in the Oxford's Bodleian library. There, Pasley headed a team of scholars and recompiled Kafka's works into the Critical Edition. The Castle Critical Edition, in German, consists of two volumes—the novel in one volume and the fragments, deletions and editor's notes in a second volume. They were published by S. Fischer Verlag in 1982, hence occasionally referred to as the "Fischer Editions".
Mark Harman used the first volume of this set to create the 1998 edition of The Castle, often refer to as based on the "Restored Text" or the "English Critical Edition".
The lack of the fragments and missing text would have little meaning to most readers if the Muir translation did not let one know that there was more to read. The casual reader may not find the additional text of value, which Harman mentions that he has not included the text. According to the Publisher's Note:
"We decided to omit the variants and passages deleted by Kafka that are included in Pasley's second volume, even though variants can indeed shed light on the genesis of literary texts. The chief objective of this new edition, which is intended for the general public, is to present the text in a form that is as close as possible to the state in which the author left the manuscript."
Harman has received general acceptance of his translation as being technically accurate and true to the original German. He has, though, received criticism for, at times not creating the prosaic form of Kafka. Some of this is due, as with Muir's translations, on accusations that Pasley compilations are also inaccurate, although better than Brod's.
As noted in the Table of Contents above, Harman includes an eleven page discussion on his philosophy behind the translation. This section provides significant information about the method he used and his thought process. There are numerous examples of passages from Pasley, Muir's translation and his translation to provide the reader with a better feel for the work. As referenced above, some feel that his (and the publisher's) praise for his work and his "patronizing" of the Muirs goes a little too far.
Muir translation
In 1930 Willa and Edwin Muir translated the First German edition of The Castle as it was compiled by Max Brod. It was published by Secker & Warburg in England and Alfred A. Knopf in the United States. 1941 edition was the edition that fed the Kafka post-war craze. The 1941 edition included a homage by Thomas Mann.
In 1954 the "Definitive" edition was published and included additional sections Brod had added to the Schocken Definitive German edition. The new sections were translated by Eithne Wilkins and Ernst Kaiser. Some edits were made in the Muir text namely the changes were "Town Council" to "Village Council", "Superintendent" to "Mayor", "Clients" to "Applicants" .
The 1994 edition, the current publication, contains a preface by Irving Howe.
The Muir translations make use of wording that is often considered "spiritual" in nature. In one notable example, the Muirs translate the description of the castle as "soaring unfalteringly" where Harman uses "tapered decisively". Furthermore, the word "illusory" is used from the opening paragraph forward. Some critics note this as further evidence of the bias in the translation leaning toward a mystical interpretation.
Underwood translation
A translation by J. A. Underwood was published in 1997 and 2000 (ISBN 0-14-018504-6) by Penguin in the UK.
Adaptations
The book was adapted by German director Rudolf Noelte into a film released in 1968. It was also filmed by Austrian director Michael Haneke in 1997 under the original German title Das Schloß, starring Ulrich Mühe as K. There is a 1994 Russian movie adaptation, The Castle, directed by Aleksei Balabanov. Another less-well-known adaptation was also made in Russia in 1994, called The Land Surveyor (Землемер). It was a 46-minute-long animation created at Diogen Studio and directed by Dmitriy Naumov and Valentin Telegin. . A 120-minute-long French radio adaptation, written by Stephane Michaka and directed by Cedric Aussir, was aired by France Culture in 2010.
Allusions to The Castle in other works
A story similar to that of The Castle is told in the British television series The Prisoner. In the late 1970s, an unlicensed computer game spin-off of The Prisoner took things one step further by incorporating elements of The Castle into the game play.
The novel Oficina Número 1 (Office Number 1) by Venezuelan writer Miguel Otero Silva has one character reading The Castle, and although never referred to by name, describes several parts of it.
The Castle is also referred to in Lawrence Thornton's Imagining Argentina. A professor is arrested under suspicion of subversive activities. He tells the authorities he has been meeting Dostoevsky, Koestler and Camus at a place called "the Castle". The main character's cat is also named Kafka.
Although not expressly stated as such, the Steven Soderbergh film Kafka from 1991, starring Jeremy Irons, incorporates the basic thematic elements of The Castle as well as allusions to Kafka's own life as a writer and his collected works. The title character, "Kafka", an insurance company clerk by day and a writer by night, lives and works in the shadow of the mysterious Castle, which rules over the life and death of the local citizenry through a seemingly incomprehensibly complex conspiracy of bureaucracy and cover-ups.
Iain Banks's novel Walking on Glass has characters who find themselves in a situation similar to K.'s: trapped in a castle, subject to arbitrary and bizarre rules which they must obey in order to find a way of leaving, and surrounded by "servants" who comply entirely with the rules by which the castle is run. The allusion is made specific in one of the final chapters, where reading The Castle (along with The Trial and Titus Groan) is hinted at as a key to the characters' escape from their own castle.
K., the protagonist of J.M. Coetzee's The Life and Times of Michael K, attempts to live simply outside the governing system of war torn South Africa.[citation needed]
African-American author Richard Wright references The Castle in his autobiography Black Boy.
Japanese game designer Suda51, creator of No More Heroes, is planning to make a game based on The Castle, titled Kuriyami
A world in the children's Nintendo DS game Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter, the Galactic Jungle, presents the player with a stubborn bureaucracy not unlike the one portrayed in the novel.
Gene Wolfe's novel There Are Doors contains numerous references to The Castle throughout, including a high-placed official known as Klamm, several characters referred to as "Herr K.," and an actual copy of Das Schloss found nailed to a table within a dream.
Argentinian writer Ernesto Sabato is said to be influenced by Kafka's existentialism. The main character in his novelle, "The Tunnel", is named Castel, presumably after Kafka's story title.
《判决》（1912）是卡夫卡最喜愛的作品，表現了父子兩代人的衝突。主人公格奧爾格·本德曼是個商人，自從幾年前母親去世後就和父親一起生活，現在生意興隆。他在房間裏給一位多年前遷居俄國的朋友寫信，告訴他自己訂婚的消息。寫完信來到父親的房間，意外的是父親對他態度非常不好，懷疑他根本就沒有遷居到俄國的朋友，指責他背着自己做生意，還盼着自己早死。突然，父親又轉了話題，嘲笑格奧爾格在欺騙他朋友，而父親自己倒是一直跟那位朋友通信，並早已把格奧爾格訂婚的消息告訴他了。格奧爾格忍不住頂撞了父親一句，父親便判獨生子去投河自盡。於是獨生子真的投河死了。作品所描寫的在父子兩人的口角過程中，清白善良的兒子竟被父親視為有罪和執拗殘暴，在父親的淫威之下，獨生子害怕、恐懼到了喪失理智，以致自盡。父親高大強壯而毫無理性，具有一切暴君的特徵。這個貌似荒誕的故事是卡夫卡負罪心態的生動描述，父親的判决也是卡夫卡對自己的判决。主人公臨死前的低聲辯白——“親愛的父母親，我可是一直愛你們的”，則是卡夫卡最隱秘心麯的吐露。這種故事的框架是典型的卡夫卡式的，是他內心深處的負罪感具象化之後的産物。然而作品的內涵顯然不在於僅僅表現父子衝突，更在於在普遍意義上揭示出人類生存在怎樣一種權威和凌辱之下。另一方面又展現人物為戰勝父親進行的一係列抗爭。兒子把看來衰老的父親如同孩子般放到床上後，真的把他“蓋了起來”。從表面上看，他這樣做是出於孝心；在深層含義上他是想埋葬父親，以確立自己作為新的一傢之主的地位。小說在體現了卡夫卡獨特的“審父”意識的同時，也表現了對傢長式的奧匈帝國統治者的不滿。與此同時卡夫卡還通過這個獨特的故事揭示了西方社會中現實生活的荒謬性和非理性。
Like Kafka's other novels, The Trial was never completed, although it does include a chapter which brings the story to an end. After his death in 1924, Kafka's friend and literary executor Max Brod edited the text for publication.
The Trial was filmed and released in 1962 by director Orson Welles, starring Anthony Perkins (as Josef K.) and Romy Schneider. A more recent remake was released in 1993 and featured Kyle MacLachlan in the star role. In 1999, it was adapted for comics by Italian artist Guido Crepax.
Plot summary
(As the novel was never completed, certain inconsistencies exist within the novel, such as disparities in timing in addition to other flaws in narration.)
On his thirtieth birthday, a senior bank clerk, Josef K., who lives in lodgings, is unexpectedly arrested by two unidentified agents for an unspecified crime. The agents do not name the authority for which they are acting. He is not taken away, however, but left at home to await instructions from the Committee of Affairs.
K. goes to visit the magistrate, but instead is forced to have a meeting with an attendant's wife. Looking at the Magistrate's books, he discovers a cache of pornography.
K. returns home to find Fräulein Montag, a lodger from another room, moving in with Fräulein Bürstner. He suspects that this is to prevent him from pursuing his affair with the latter woman. Yet another lodger, Captain Lanz, appears to be in league with Montag.
Later, in a store room at his own bank, K. discovers the two agents who arrested him being whipped by a flogger for asking K. for bribes, as a result of complaints K. previously made about them to the Magistrate. K. tries to argue with the flogger, saying that the men need not be whipped, but the flogger cannot be swayed. The next day he returns to the store room and is shocked to find everything as he had found it the day before, including the Whipper and the two agents.
K. is visited by his uncle, who is a friend of a lawyer. The lawyer was with the Clerk of the Court. The uncle seems distressed by K.'s predicament. At first sympathetic, he becomes concerned K. is underestimating the seriousness of the case. The uncle introduces K. to an advocate, who is attended by Leni, a nurse, who K.'s uncle suspects is the advocate's mistress. K. has a sexual encounter with Leni, whilst his uncle is talking with the Advocate and the Chief Clerk of the Court, much to his uncle's anger, and to the detriment of his case.
K. visits the advocate and finds him to be a capricious and unhelpful character. K. returns to his bank but finds that his colleagues are trying to undermine him.
K. is advised by one of his bank clients to visit Titorelli, a court painter, for advice. Titorelli has no official connections, yet seems to have a deep understanding of the process. K. learns that, to Titorelli's knowledge, not a single defendant has ever been acquitted. He sets out what K.'s options are, but the consequences of all of them are unpleasant: they consist of different delay tactics to stretch out his case as long as possible before the inevitable "Guilty" verdict. Titorelli instructs K. that there's not much he can do since he doesn't know of what crime he has been accused.
K. decides to take control of his own life and visits his advocate with the intention of dismissing him. At the advocate's office he meets a downtrodden individual, Block, a client who offers K. some insight from a client's perspective. Block's case has continued for five years and he appears to have been virtually enslaved by his dependence on the advocate's meaningless and circular advice. The advocate mocks Block in front of K. for his dog-like subservience. This experience further poisons K.'s opinion of his advocate, and K is bemused as to why his advocate would think that seeing such a client, in such a state, could change his mind. (This chapter was left unfinished by the author.)
K. is asked to tour an Italian client around local places of cultural interest, but the Italian client short of time asks K. to tour him around only the cathedral, setting a time to meet there. When the client doesn't show up, K. explores the cathedral which is empty except for an old woman and a church official. K. decides to leave as a priest K. notices seems to be preparing to give a sermon from a small second pulpit, lest it begin and K. be compelled to stay for its entirety. Instead of giving a sermon, the priest calls out K.'s name, although K. has never known the priest. The priest works for the court, and tells K. a fable, (which has been published separately as Before the Law) that is meant to explain his situation, but instead causes confusion, and implies that K.'s fate is hopeless. Before the Law begins as a parable, then continues with several pages of interpretation between the Priest and K. The gravity of the priest's words prepares the reader for an unpleasant ending.
On the last day of K.'s thirtieth year, two men arrive to execute him. He offers little resistance, suggesting that he has realised this as being inevitable for some time. They lead him to a quarry where he is expected to kill himself, but he cannot. The two men then execute him. His last words describe his own death: "Like a dog!"
Characters
Others
Fräulein Bürstner - A boarder in the same house as Josef K. She lets him kiss her one night, but then rebuffs his advances. She makes a brief reappearance in the novel's final pages.
Fräulein Montag - Friend of Fräulein Bürstner, she talks to K. about ending his relationship with Fräulein Bürstner after his arrest. She claims she can bring him insight, because she is an objective third party.
Frau Grubach - The proprietress of the lodging house in which K. lives. She holds K. in high esteem, despite his arrest.
Uncle Karl - K.'s impetuous uncle from the country, formerly his guardian. Upon learning about the trial, Karl insists that K. hire Herr Huld, the lawyer.
Herr Huld, the Lawyer - K.'s pompous and pretentious advocate who provides precious little in the way of action and far too much in the way of anecdote.
Leni - Herr Huld's nurse, she has feelings for Josef K. and soon becomes his lover. She shows him her webbed hand, yet another reference to the motif of the hand throughout the book. Apparently, she finds accused men extremely attractive—the fact of their indictment makes them irresistible to her.
Vice-President - K.'s unctuous rival at the Bank, only too willing to catch K. in a compromising situation. He repeatedly takes advantage of K.'s preoccupation with the trial to advance his own ambitions.
President - Manager of the Bank. A sickly figure, whose position the Vice-President is trying to assume. Gets on well with K., inviting him to various engagements.
Rudi Block, the Merchant - Block is another accused man and client of Huld. His case is five years old, and he is but a shadow of the prosperous grain dealer he once was. All his time, energy, and resources are now devoted to his case, to the point of detriment to his own life. Although he has hired five additional lawyers on the side, he is completely and pathetically subservient to Huld.
Titorelli, the Painter - Titorelli inherited the position of Court Painter from his father. He knows a great deal about the comings and goings of the Court's lowest level. He offers to help K., and manages to unload a few identical landscape paintings on the accused man.
Style
Parable
(Taken directly from Novels for Students: The Trial.)
Kafka intentionally set out to write parables, not just novels, about the human condition. The Trial is a parable that includes the smaller parable Before the Law. There is clearly a relationship between the two but the exact meaning of either parable is left up to the individual reader. K. and the Priest discuss the many possible readings. Both the short parable and their discussion seem to indicate that the reader is much like the man at the gate; there is a meaning in the story for everyone just as there is one gate to the Law for each person.
The parable within Kafka's masterpiece highlights perfectly the essence of his philosophy. Assigned unique roles in life, individuals must search deep within the apparent absurdity of existence to achieve spiritual self-realisation. The old man, therefore, is the symbol of this universal search inherent to mankind. 'The Trial' is not simply a novel about the potential disaster of over-bureaucratisation in society; it is an exploration of the personal and, particularly, spiritual, needs of human beings.
Legality
In a recent study based on Kafka’s office writings, Reza Banakar points out that many of Kafka’s descriptions of law and legality are often treated as metaphors for things other than law, but also are worthy of examination as a particular concept of law and legality which operates paradoxically as an integral part of the human condition under modernity. Joseph K. and his inexplicable experience of the law in The Trial were, for example, born out of an actual legal case in which Kafka was involved.
Film portrayals
* In the 1962 Orson Welles movie adaptation of The Trial, Josef K. is played by Anthony Perkins. Kyle MacLachlan portrays him in the 1993 version.
* Martin Scorsese's 1985 film After Hours is a re-imagining of the Trial.
Theatre adaptions
* The writer and director Steven Berkoff adapted several of Kafka's novels into plays and directed them for stage. His version of The Trial was first performed in 1970 in London and published in 1981.
Selected publication history
* Oxford World's Classics, 4 October 2009, Translation: Mike Mitchell, ISBN 9780199238293
* Dover Thrift Editions, 22 July 2009, Translation: David Wyllie, ISBN 9780486470610
* Penguin Modern Classics, 29 June 2000, Translation: Idris Parry, ISBN 9780141182902
* Schocken Books, 25 May 1999, Translation: Breon Mitchell, ISBN 9780805209990
* Everyman's Library, 30 June 1992, Translation: Willa and Edwin Muir, ISBN 9780679409946
Like Kafka's other novels, The Trial was never completed, although it does include a chapter which brings the story to an end. After his death in 1924, Kafka's friend and literary executor Max Brod edited the text for publication.
The Trial was filmed and released in 1962 by director Orson Welles, starring Anthony Perkins (as Josef K.) and Romy Schneider. A more recent remake was released in 1993 and featured Kyle MacLachlan in the star role. In 1999, it was adapted for comics by Italian artist Guido Crepax.
Plot summary
(As the novel was never completed, certain inconsistencies exist within the novel, such as disparities in timing in addition to other flaws in narration.)
On his thirtieth birthday, a senior bank clerk, Josef K., who lives in lodgings, is unexpectedly arrested by two unidentified agents for an unspecified crime. The agents do not name the authority for which they are acting. He is not taken away, however, but left at home to await instructions from the Committee of Affairs.
K. goes to visit the magistrate, but instead is forced to have a meeting with an attendant's wife. Looking at the Magistrate's books, he discovers a cache of pornography.
K. returns home to find Fräulein Montag, a lodger from another room, moving in with Fräulein Bürstner. He suspects that this is to prevent him from pursuing his affair with the latter woman. Yet another lodger, Captain Lanz, appears to be in league with Montag.
Later, in a store room at his own bank, K. discovers the two agents who arrested him being whipped by a flogger for asking K. for bribes, as a result of complaints K. previously made about them to the Magistrate. K. tries to argue with the flogger, saying that the men need not be whipped, but the flogger cannot be swayed. The next day he returns to the store room and is shocked to find everything as he had found it the day before, including the Whipper and the two agents.
K. is visited by his uncle, who is a friend of a lawyer. The lawyer was with the Clerk of the Court. The uncle seems distressed by K.'s predicament. At first sympathetic, he becomes concerned K. is underestimating the seriousness of the case. The uncle introduces K. to an advocate, who is attended by Leni, a nurse, who K.'s uncle suspects is the advocate's mistress. K. has a sexual encounter with Leni, whilst his uncle is talking with the Advocate and the Chief Clerk of the Court, much to his uncle's anger, and to the detriment of his case.
K. visits the advocate and finds him to be a capricious and unhelpful character. K. returns to his bank but finds that his colleagues are trying to undermine him.
K. is advised by one of his bank clients to visit Titorelli, a court painter, for advice. Titorelli has no official connections, yet seems to have a deep understanding of the process. K. learns that, to Titorelli's knowledge, not a single defendant has ever been acquitted. He sets out what K.'s options are, but the consequences of all of them are unpleasant: they consist of different delay tactics to stretch out his case as long as possible before the inevitable "Guilty" verdict. Titorelli instructs K. that there's not much he can do since he doesn't know of what crime he has been accused.
K. decides to take control of his own life and visits his advocate with the intention of dismissing him. At the advocate's office he meets a downtrodden individual, Block, a client who offers K. some insight from a client's perspective. Block's case has continued for five years and he appears to have been virtually enslaved by his dependence on the advocate's meaningless and circular advice. The advocate mocks Block in front of K. for his dog-like subservience. This experience further poisons K.'s opinion of his advocate, and K is bemused as to why his advocate would think that seeing such a client, in such a state, could change his mind. (This chapter was left unfinished by the author.)
K. is asked to tour an Italian client around local places of cultural interest, but the Italian client short of time asks K. to tour him around only the cathedral, setting a time to meet there. When the client doesn't show up, K. explores the cathedral which is empty except for an old woman and a church official. K. decides to leave as a priest K. notices seems to be preparing to give a sermon from a small second pulpit, lest it begin and K. be compelled to stay for its entirety. Instead of giving a sermon, the priest calls out K.'s name, although K. has never known the priest. The priest works for the court, and tells K. a fable, (which has been published separately as Before the Law) that is meant to explain his situation, but instead causes confusion, and implies that K.'s fate is hopeless. Before the Law begins as a parable, then continues with several pages of interpretation between the Priest and K. The gravity of the priest's words prepares the reader for an unpleasant ending.
On the last day of K.'s thirtieth year, two men arrive to execute him. He offers little resistance, suggesting that he has realised this as being inevitable for some time. They lead him to a quarry where he is expected to kill himself, but he cannot. The two men then execute him. His last words describe his own death: "Like a dog!"
Characters
Others
Fräulein Bürstner - A boarder in the same house as Josef K. She lets him kiss her one night, but then rebuffs his advances. She makes a brief reappearance in the novel's final pages.
Fräulein Montag - Friend of Fräulein Bürstner, she talks to K. about ending his relationship with Fräulein Bürstner after his arrest. She claims she can bring him insight, because she is an objective third party.
Frau Grubach - The proprietress of the lodging house in which K. lives. She holds K. in high esteem, despite his arrest.
Uncle Karl - K.'s impetuous uncle from the country, formerly his guardian. Upon learning about the trial, Karl insists that K. hire Herr Huld, the lawyer.
Herr Huld, the Lawyer - K.'s pompous and pretentious advocate who provides precious little in the way of action and far too much in the way of anecdote.
Leni - Herr Huld's nurse, she has feelings for Josef K. and soon becomes his lover. She shows him her webbed hand, yet another reference to the motif of the hand throughout the book. Apparently, she finds accused men extremely attractive—the fact of their indictment makes them irresistible to her.
Vice-President - K.'s unctuous rival at the Bank, only too willing to catch K. in a compromising situation. He repeatedly takes advantage of K.'s preoccupation with the trial to advance his own ambitions.
President - Manager of the Bank. A sickly figure, whose position the Vice-President is trying to assume. Gets on well with K., inviting him to various engagements.
Rudi Block, the Merchant - Block is another accused man and client of Huld. His case is five years old, and he is but a shadow of the prosperous grain dealer he once was. All his time, energy, and resources are now devoted to his case, to the point of detriment to his own life. Although he has hired five additional lawyers on the side, he is completely and pathetically subservient to Huld.
Titorelli, the Painter - Titorelli inherited the position of Court Painter from his father. He knows a great deal about the comings and goings of the Court's lowest level. He offers to help K., and manages to unload a few identical landscape paintings on the accused man.
Style
Parable
(Taken directly from Novels for Students: The Trial.)
Kafka intentionally set out to write parables, not just novels, about the human condition. The Trial is a parable that includes the smaller parable Before the Law. There is clearly a relationship between the two but the exact meaning of either parable is left up to the individual reader. K. and the Priest discuss the many possible readings. Both the short parable and their discussion seem to indicate that the reader is much like the man at the gate; there is a meaning in the story for everyone just as there is one gate to the Law for each person.
The parable within Kafka's masterpiece highlights perfectly the essence of his philosophy. Assigned unique roles in life, individuals must search deep within the apparent absurdity of existence to achieve spiritual self-realisation. The old man, therefore, is the symbol of this universal search inherent to mankind. 'The Trial' is not simply a novel about the potential disaster of over-bureaucratisation in society; it is an exploration of the personal and, particularly, spiritual, needs of human beings.
Legality
In a recent study based on Kafka’s office writings, Reza Banakar points out that many of Kafka’s descriptions of law and legality are often treated as metaphors for things other than law, but also are worthy of examination as a particular concept of law and legality which operates paradoxically as an integral part of the human condition under modernity. Joseph K. and his inexplicable experience of the law in The Trial were, for example, born out of an actual legal case in which Kafka was involved.
Film portrayals
* In the 1962 Orson Welles movie adaptation of The Trial, Josef K. is played by Anthony Perkins. Kyle MacLachlan portrays him in the 1993 version.
* Martin Scorsese's 1985 film After Hours is a re-imagining of the Trial.
Theatre adaptions
* The writer and director Steven Berkoff adapted several of Kafka's novels into plays and directed them for stage. His version of The Trial was first performed in 1970 in London and published in 1981.
Selected publication history
* Oxford World's Classics, 4 October 2009, Translation: Mike Mitchell, ISBN 9780199238293
* Dover Thrift Editions, 22 July 2009, Translation: David Wyllie, ISBN 9780486470610
* Penguin Modern Classics, 29 June 2000, Translation: Idris Parry, ISBN 9780141182902
* Schocken Books, 25 May 1999, Translation: Breon Mitchell, ISBN 9780805209990
* Everyman's Library, 30 June 1992, Translation: Willa and Edwin Muir, ISBN 9780679409946