The Metamorphosis

by Franz Kafka

The Metamorphosis: Style 1 key example

Style
Explanation and Analysis—Kafkaesque:

It is important to note that Kafka wrote and spoke German, not English. The reader, by reading a work of translation, is only consuming an interpretation of Kafka’s original story. While it is always important to keep the fact that one is reading a translation in mind, it is especially important in the case of The Metamorphosis, as Kafka is intentionally ambiguous about the type of bug Gregor transforms into. In fact, even "bug" or "insect" is not universally agreed upon as a translation of the original German: "vermin" may be a more accurate, but less common, translation of what specifically Gregor transforms into. Overall, some elements of Kafka's writing style are lost in translation, although there are still many stylistic choices evident in English and German alike.