The Metamorphosis and Other Stories (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) FROM OUR EDITORS
Barnes & Noble Classics offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of Barnes & Noble Classics:New introductions commissioned from today's top writers and scholars Biographies of the authors Chronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and cultural events Footnotes and endnotes Selective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and films inspired by the work Comments by other famous authors Study questions to challenge the reader's viewpoints and expectations Bibliographies for further reading Indices & Glossaries, when appropriateAll editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. Barnes & Noble Classics pulls together a constellation of influencesbiographical, historical, and literaryto enrich each reader's understanding of these enduring works.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Virtually unknown during his lifetime, Franz Kafka is now one of
the world’s most widely read and discussed authors. His nightmarish
novels and short stories have come to symbolize modern man’s
anxiety and alienation in a bizarre, hostile, and dehumanized world. This
vision is most fully realized in Kafka’s masterpiece, “The
Metamorphosis,” a story that is both harrowing and amusing, and
a landmark of modern literature.
Bringing together some of Kafka’s finest work, this collection
demonstrates the richness and variety of the author’s artistry.
“The Judgment,” which Kafka considered to be his
decisive breakthrough, and “The Stoker,” which
became the first chapter of his novel Amerika, are here
included. These two, along with “The
Metamorphosis,” form a suite of stories Kafka referred to as
“The Sons,” and they collectively present a devastating
portrait of the modern family.
Also included are “In the Penal Colony,” a story
of a torture machine and its operators and victims, and “A
Hunger Artist,” about the absurdity of an artist trying to
communicate with a misunderstanding public. Kafka’s lucid,
succinct writing chronicles the labyrinthine complexities, the
futility-laden horror, and the stifling oppressiveness that permeate
his vision of modern life.
Jason Baker is a writer of short stories living in Brooklyn,
New York.
Stories Included in the Volume:
"A Message From the Emperor"
"The Metamorphosis"
"The Judgment"
"The Stoker: A Fragment"
"In the Penal Colony"
"A Country Doctor"
"An Old Leaf"
"A Hunger Artist"
"Josephine the Singer, or The Mouse People"
"Before the Law"