An understanding of the covers as collaborators in Gregor’s story makes sense - not only because book covers generally attempt to speak to their insides, but also because The Metamorphosis is completely anchored in its contemplation of physicality.
Such a bodily evolution is jolting to say the least, and the direful hue of Gregor’s reality translates to many of the book covers which honor and frame the literary gem. One of Franz Kafka’s best-known works, the novella narrates the sudden transformation of traveling salesman Gregor Samsa into a large insect. The Metamorphosis is equal parts enthralling and distressing. Of all the family members, she is the most patient and kind with the beetle – and when she eventually stops caring for him, it’s only because he pushes her away.Ĭover to Cover is a weekly project comparing and critiquing the various covers of popular novels.How Book Covers Speak: A Visualization of Kafka’s The Metamorphosis by Eva Berezovsky I love a lot of these takes on the cover, but I have to say that Vogl’s take on Kafka is my favourite – portraying Samsa’s sister peeking into his room to care for her brother. As you might guess, the trend of beetle imagery continues:įrom left to right and top to bottom: covers by Michael Miklosic, John Vogl, Jamie Accashian, Salene Jang, Mina Bach, and Nicholas Grinere (who has a great name and an even better website). I’ve always been fond of Peter Mendelsund’s minimalist cover (centre), which also appears on an Out of Print shirt I’ve always coveted.Īnd maybe it’s because this novella is often assigned in English classes, or maybe it’s because I’m not the only one touched by the tragic tale of Gregor Samsa, but the internet is full of amazing cover redesigns. Unsurprisingly, many of the official covers draw on beetle imagery: The book ends with Gregor wasting away into nothing – both physically and emotionally starving to death. As time passes, however, they grow bored with having an insect upstairs and slowly neglect him. At first, his family is unperturbed and find great pleasure in caring for Gregor. The Metamorphosis is the classic tale of a man who wakes up as a giant beetle. His numerous legs, pitifully thin in comparison to the rest of his circumference, flickered helplessly before his eyes. From this height the blanket, just about ready to slide off completely, could hardly stay in place. He lay on his armour-hard back and saw, as he lifted his head up a little, his brown, arched abdomen divided up into rigid bowlike sections. One morning, as Gregor Samsa was waking up from anxious dreams, he discovered that in bed he had been changed into a monstrous verminous bug.
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