Fiction Literature Books

"The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair clearly states how people wanted to live the American Dream; which was unfortunately extremely hard in those types of conditions. The setting of the story takes place at first in Lithuania and then the family then moves to Packington, a meat-packing sector of Chicago in the early 1900s, in hope of living better lives and being successful. The conflict that occurs during their stay in Chicago are that Jurgis and his family attempt to pursue the "American Dream", but certain situations come up and interfere their successfulness. The main events that happen are that Ona's boss rapes her, Jurgis has to spend Christmas in jail away from his family, and Ona's death during childbirth. As a result of this, Jurgis feels destroyed by capitalism and Jurgis turns to abandon his family and turns to dishonest means to survive. The resolution to all this is that everyone goes their own separate ways and try to survive their own way and the hard way. They learn how hard it is to live and survive by themselves in those conditions.

The Jungle is a dreary novel about the failed American dream. It shows readers the shadowy side of early 20th century Chicago and the hardships that immigrants had to go through. Jurgis, a Lithuanian immigrant, illuminates the horrible working conditions and shady business tactics that occurred in America during this time period. He vowed that he would just work harder to make more money, yet the only jobs available to him were those that involved back breaking labor in an unsafe work environment. In an effort to alleviate the situation that his family is in, Jurgis joins a union. The reader begins to see just how corrupt Chicago is at this time. Immigrants were used for their cheap labor while the politicians skimmed off the top. Jurgis sprained his ankle while he was working and the meatpacking factory would not pay him until he came back 3 months later. This kind of unfair business practice ran rampant in America during this time. After a series of deaths in his family and stays in jail, Jurgis becomes one of many criminals looking to make a dishonest dollar. He finally must turn to socialism in order to show his discontent for the happenings in America. I would recommend this book to anybody who is interested in the corruption of early 1900s America. Upton Sinclair shows how hard it actually was for immigrants to make a living and exposes the the unsafe working conditions in which they had to live and work in.

A century before Barbara Ehrenreich or Alex Frankel, wage slavery was tackled much more radically (if no less awkwardly) by muckraking socialist Upton Sinclair whose polemical story of a Lithuanian immigrant family toiling in Chicago's slaughterhouses led to reforms in food sanitation rather than the revolution Sinclair spent his political career trying to foment.

Using the word "beautiful" to describe Sinclair's "The Jungle" is a bit tedious, and something of an oxymoron. I mean, let's face it: it's a down-and-dirty book, a brutally honest portrayal of Chicago's turn-of-the-century Packingtown. The novel traces Lithuanian immigrant Jurgis Rudkus and his family, as they seek a new life in America--and fall into a trap of immorality and despair. It is not an easy read, in the sense that the imagery Sinclair uses is not watered down; you are made to wince, you are made sick to your stomach. I cannot imagine what this was like for readers at the time it was published, before the Pure Food and Drug Act (the passing of which was a direct result of this novel). Most of "The Jungle" flows along smoothly; it works very well as a novel, even one with a Socialist agenda (the last thirty pages read like a Socialist pamphlet; but then again, that was Sinclair's point, so we can forgive him for that).

Now for the "bonus features" (obviously, I am of the DVD generation). The "Introduction," which offers a brief bio of Sinclair, as well as a brief analysis of the "protest novel"'s role in literature, is a worthy read. The "Interpretive Notes" are a joke, I'm afraid. The Notes are somtimes helpful (if it weren't for one note, we wouldn't know Sinclair was referencing his friend and fellow Socialist, Jack London), but more often simply get in the way (did we really need a refence stating that the "lake" referred to is Lake Michigan? I mean, it's Chicago, for God's sake!). Kudos to the "Suggestions for the Interested Reader" and "Critical Excerpts" sections, for including listings that actually go against Sinclair's views. Combine that with the "Questions for Discussion," and I'd say that this book would be handy in the classroom. I read it outside of class, for the exerpience (and a pleasant one at that), but I can easily see this edition being used in one of my college literature courses (I'd suggest high school, but let's face it, no high school student would be all that interested). So for you Teachers of the World, I highly suggest using this edition of the text. For those of you who simply want to experience Sinclair's classic novel--by all means, dig in. You'll be a bit squeamish in spots, and you might get tired of having Socialist ideals pounded into your skull, but you'll enjoy the experience, and will hopefully come out a richer person because of it. At the very least, you'll thank God somebody had the balls to take on the Beef Trust, and make dinner time a safer place for the rest of us.

Of the numerous editions of The Jungle that are in print, this version is reasonably good and presented in a scholarly form. However, this version of The Jungle is not the original form. It has been drastically cut in length, with much of the slaughterhouse gore removed and the ethnic material cut way back. Readers would be better to get the "Uncensored" verion of the novel put out by See Sharp Press.

A friend had given me a copy of "The Bondwoman's Narrative" (great read) written by a slave that passed for white and escaped to the north. It was so surprising and full of things they never teach about when you cover the topic of American slavery in school. even some native americans could (and did) keep slaves.I couldn't put that book down and wanted to read more accounts of how things were, so I found this book.

It's such a small representation of slavery, but significant, none the less. It's several first hand accounts put into a collection. A very surprising read, I learned so many things I just had no idea about. It's sad and scary what these people went through, what was conditioned to them to be "normal" just to name a couple:

slave mothers being seperated from their children, them being considered "property" for sale

women being mistreaded by plantation owners wives because of their husbands affections for (and fathering children with) slaves

religion (Christianity) being permitted and used a tool to keep slaves "in their place"

It should be required reading. This is not a modern day account of what we should know. There is no agenda, no glossing over details, nothing is made to be outrageous and shocking just for the sake of it (although it certainly is). It's just raw, honest truth.

You are a jackass. No one "sold us to the US". We were STOLEN and taken back. Who is to say what changes there would have been if we had not been. Africa might be a better place today.
I say BE THANKFUL for what you have, but don't be a self-righteous a$$hole about it.

Expand your mind and buy this book!

You speak of enslavement in the US--who sold you to the US???Never is THIS mentioned. In Africa today, people are dying in the thousands of AIDS. Could the African Americans of today not thank our forefathers for coming over and sacrificing for our legacy?? What are you thinking?? We have it made now, we are not in Africa with disease, pestilence, violence, and an anscetory that sold us to the US. Go ahead with your pitifullness--I am grateful that our own people sold us out. We are now successful, healthy, and for me--I am thankful to be here. Sometimes, things happen for a reason, no matter how bad things might be. Give thanks to your grand-parents, great grand parents and to the US for making your life so much better. Above all-----------THINK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND don't lick wounds--they are long gone.

Henry Louis Gates provides readers with an important contribution to the many first-hand accounts of enslavement. His scintillating introduction ties together the life and times of four African Americans who narrated their own story of slavery: Olaudah Equiano, Mary Prince, Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Jacobs. The diversity chosen by Gates allows readers to gain a comprehensive perspective of the horrors of slavery: women/men, South/North, born in African/born in America. Readers desiring additional first-hand accounts are encouraged to consider compilations by Yetman of the slave interviews.

Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D. is the author of Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction , Spiritual Friends: A Methodology of Soul Care And Spiritual Direction, and Soul Physicians.

The practice of enslavement in the Americas is a phenomenon of staggering proportions. It is also one of the most thoroughly documented systems of human rights abuse in history. "The Classic Slave Narratives" brings together four powerful testaments of individuals who survived enslavement in the Americas. The book also contains an insightful introduction by scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

As Gates notes in the introduction, it has been estimated that more than 6,000 ex-slaves left some form of written testament between 1703 and 1944--an amazing body of literature. "The Classic Slave Narratives" is thus just a tiny part of a vast genre. Specifically, this anthology contains "the Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano," "The History of Mary Prince," "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass," and Harriet Jacobs' "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl."

Each of the four powerful texts offers an effective complement to the others in the collection. In other words, each narrative illuminates at least one unique and important aspect of the American slave experience. Olaudah Equiano, for example, tells what it was like for a native African to be enslaved and transported across the Atlantic in a slave ship. Prince illuminates the life of a slave woman on the Caribbean islands. Douglass, born to a slave mother and a white father, describes in detail his quest for literacy. And Jacobs offers an incisive window into the sexual pathology of the slaveowning society.

These four texts are both valuable historical documents and fascinating works of literature. Much American literature--autobiography, poetry, novels, essays, and other genres--demonstrates the influence of, or parallels to, these pivotal texts. "The Classic Slave Narratives" is a necessary text for those interested in United States and Caribbean history, in American literature, in literacy, or in human rights.

This book is a very good read. You feel as though you are truly experiencing the hospital through the eyes of the chief and it is refreshing to be in the third person from all the action. Found the book to be extremely refreshing.

This book was sent to me in great condition. i'm very happy with my purchase

'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest' is easily one of the greatest novels ever written. Chief Bromden is, by far, the most humanizing narrator I've ever read. Though this novel is an unyielding social criticism, it's also a very effective one in that it forces the reader to empathize with confined characters while realizing the authoritarians' actions - particularly those of Nurse Ratched - seem even more villainous due to the demoralization which is felt when one is corrected or otherwise censored without being capable of understanding what it is they've done to deserve such.

A beautifully written and timeless novel.

Let me first explain that I can no longer write a long review for Amazon: time after time I have spent an hour writing one only to be cut off before I can even preview it. It is no doubt the fault of my own system-- I am not blaming Amazon-- but in any case, if anyone wants I the full text of this review, they must refer to my blogspot. I shall try to put it in a nutshell, if that is possible: McMurphy seems to me to be the perfect metaphor for the terrorist suspect facing US interrogators today. The techniques used by Nurse Ratched are similar to those developed by the CIA in collusion with unscrupulous doctors. The cornerstone of this method is ECT. It is used in combination with narco-hypnosis, but the latter would not be effective without the erasure of memory which ECT causes. I must note that this book, famous for its depiction of ECT, greatly underrates the dangers inherent in the treatment. For one thing, it does not mention the long-term effects on memory. Secondly, it leaves the impression that ECT is going out of fashion, when in fact it is experiencing an upsurge. Some 100,000 people a year receive the treatment, according to Dr. Peter Breggin. But the most sinister thing about ECT is that was found very effective in creating "Manchurian candidates" by the CIA, and may now be being used to create "phony terrorists". Must finish here, if I write any more I will be cut off-- please consult my personal profile for my blogspot.

"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" is Chief Bromden's journey of self- awareness as he transforms from chronic mental illness to freedom and self-emancipation. His lessons on the psychiatric ward parallel his childhood experiences of having the white man coerce the Columbian Indians out of their land. Chief narrates while Randle McMurphy transcends the hegemony of the combine by introducing outrage, empowerment and purpose to the lives of the mental patients on the ward. McMurphy is a charismatic leader who becomes the "bull-goose looney" of the ward through his personal magnetism and moxie.

One lesson of the book is that behaviors of the oppressed contribute to their own dominance. By wanting to remain safe and anonymous, the inpatients retreat like "rabbits" into the fog (anonymity). The ward is sterile of humanity with the daily activities specifically regulated to confront the patient with the futility of life. Nurse Rachted demonstrates the power to make things worse, so why risk emancipatory efforts? However, through McMurphy, the inpatients discover that it is not society or even Nurse Ratched that makes them crazy. As Harding states "though I used to think at one time, a few years ago, my turtleneck years, that society's chastising was the sole force that drove one along the road to crazy, but you've caused me to re-appraise my theory. There's something else that drives people ... down the road...It is us."

Part 4 is largely allegorical. McMurphy is portrayed as a Christ figure, sent to the ward for the sins of others, sent as a man to be slaughtered like a lamb for the sins of all men. According to Chief, "McMurphy was a giant come out of the sky to save us from the combine..." who "...doled out his life for us to live..." When going through his shock treatments, he was given the choice (temptation) that if he rebuked himself and he would be set free. However, McMurphy chose to sacrifice himself for the others and set them free.

One aspect of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest that may be an abomination to the feminist movement was the presentation of the climate on the ward as being a matriarchy of repressed sexual libido. Apparently, for Kesey, emancipation entails full expression of sexuality including socially condemned activities such as pornography, rape and prostitution. Many of the men's mental illnesses were deeply rooted in ineffective relationships with women that were exasperated by Nurse Ratched's castrating group therapy sessions. Apparently, for Kesey, the liberation of society comes at the cost of women's liberation.

My favorite book by an American author is Lonesome Dove. The other books in that series are also wonderful.

"Books" is not fiction but a look at the author's love of books and collecting books. This may be of more interest to the people with similar interests.

Larry McMurtry's "Books" is very focused on his career as a Bookman, and, as he intended, gives little insight into his life other than as related to this part of his profession. For lover's of books it is a delightful, fast read. I enjoyed finding out about this part of Larry McMurtry's thinking and the fascinating details of "Bookmanship."

It was fascinating to discover that an author of western novels, Larry McMurtry, is also a used book dealer! With a title like this and the McMurtry name, this book will be bought by every librarian looking for a book that encourages readership. Unfortunately, it is a little more specialized than the average reader would expect. If you enjoy collecting, it's a book to borrow from the library. A more accurate title would have been Reminisces of an Antiquarian Book Dealer. From that standpoint, this is a great book! And the format is one that any dealer in antiques and rarities could utilize in writing their memoirs.

After selling over a million used books and still having an inventory approaching 400,000 books (including 28,000 in his personal residence), at age 72, Larry McMurtry must have realized he needed to move some more books or risk a haunting fear that the remaining stock could go for four cents a book! What better way to advertise his bookstore than this description of his book dealing days and his comment that lots of desirable books are still sitting on his shelves carrying prices that are a quarter century old.

What makes this book worthwhile is learning why people collect books and what makes a great library. To Larry, the fun is coming across an important or exciting book he has never owned! This is probably how most dealers in antiquities feel. As he states, "First one has to find such a book; then one has to recognize it for what it is." Unfortunately, rare book investing may not be for everyone. McMurtry gives the example of a book by a Belgian surrealist that he bought as part of a collection of several thousand exhibition catalogues. He quickly resold it for $36. Today, an inscribed copy is estimated to bring at auction, $60,000 to $80,000! Unfortunately, the book may not be for everybody, it is about an exhibition of dolls wrapped in barbed wire!

As often is the case, no dealer can know everything. Sometimes, a rare book is nothing more than a pamphlet. Other times, it's the dust wrapper that brings great value. An example given was a dust wrapper copy of The Great Gatsby that Larry bought forty years ago for $12; just as the most sought after modern books began their spectacular rise. With America now having 946 billionaires running around with money to spend on things of value, McMurtry feels there can be no ceiling and this pricey rarity recently hit $168,000!

McMurtry describes buying real libraries containing thousands of books as alchemy, "One looks, one guesses...." Making a bid you can live with and the seller will accept. Case in point, when starting out, Larry had $1500 in the bank, offered $1500 for a library and when all was done realized $10,000 reselling the books. Another example was hastily appraising a library of 16,000 books at $200,000 for the IRS - a little more than $12 a book. What keeps the reader whipping through is his chapters are so short that you think, "Why not read one more?" After reading this book, the collector/investor realizes it is pretty difficult for the average book lover to put together a rare book library that will grow in value.

Larry McMurtry has had as great an influence on books and movies as any living writer over the last half-century. From THE LAST PICTURE SHOW to LONESOME DOVE, he has penned 30 novels and 41 books, and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. As a Hollywood screenwriter he won an Academy Award for Brokeback Mountain and has written 70 scripts.

Who would have guessed, as he tells us in BOOKS: A Memoir, that by the mid-1970s "Writing was my vocation, but I had written a lot, and it was no longer exactly a passion." And this was years before LONESOME DOVE and decades before Brokeback Mountain.

BOOKS: A Memoir is the story of McMurtry's real passion in life: book buying and selling. Over the years he has handled at least a million volumes as a bookseller. He owned a bookstore in Washington, D.C. for 36 years and now has turned his hometown of Archer City, Texas, into a book town where he owns six buildings, five of them filled with books. Indeed, you have a choice of 300,000 volumes to purchase when you enter his store, the appropriately titled Booked Up.

But you probably won't be able to find a latte or scone for sale in the joint. BOOKS: A Memoir is a beautifully written look into the still existing but little known world of antiquarian book dealers. And unfortunately, it soon might be a Lost World, grinded down beneath chain stores and a generation raised on Gameboys, not the Hardy Boys.

This work also gives us insights into the making of a great American writer. Who but McMurtry could write such a perfect sentence: "I don't remember either of my parents ever reading me a story --- perhaps that's why I've made up so many."

There were no books around his Texas ranch house in his earliest years, but then at the age of six, a cousin going off to World War II gave him a treasure --- a box containing 19 books. His life was forever changed. In his isolated rural setting, he tells us, "I came to reading before I came to American popular culture generally..."

McMurtry devoured his cousin's books multiple times and soon, as a young man, was searching through musty old bookstores, looking for books to read. He describes coming across shelves of Modern Library classics in Lovelace's Bookshop in Archer City and being filled "with a mixture of awe and fear." I was reminded of Pete Hamill's description of the awe he felt as a young boy exploring the Brooklyn Public Library and discovering THE ARABIAN NIGHTS. I wonder how much kids lose today when they don't have a similar experience. Not to mention our cultural life.

Soon McMurtry progresses from book scout to bookseller. As a young writer, Hollywood buys one of his early books and turns it into the movie Hud. And instead of purchasing a jazzy car and fancy house, like many of us writers would, his work in films will help him buy all or part of 30 bookstores over the years.

The antiquarian bookseller is like a deep sea fisherman, searching through garage sales, estate sales and auctions for the profitable find. And there is always the big fish that got away, such as when McMurtry sells a rare book, unknowingly for $45, and it ends up later being sold for $5,000.

We meet some of the wonderfully eccentric characters in this world, characters who could easily fill a McMurtry novel. For example, there is the English bookseller Anthony Newnham. McMurtry writes:

"Anthony Newnham tended to marry against type. His first wife, I am told, was a proper English housewife --- thus, in America, he usually went for wild, drug taking, motorcycle girls...Anthony's method...was to marry wild American girls and turn them into proper English housewives --- if they submitted to this change he rapidly lost interest. He was a very attractive man, even though, for a time, he had no front teeth, these having been knocked out by a cricket ball when he was nine. He lost his bridge and, for some years, didn't bother to replace it."

There are gems of great writing like this throughout the book. And we learn that in all his decades of operating a major bookshop in the Georgetown district of the nation's capital, "we sold only one real book to a member of Congress." Now there is a shock!

But for as much joy as there is in this book about books, there is also a subtle sadness. After all, the antiquarian book dealer makes his living when people die and their precious libraries are broken up and sold by relatives. McMurtry calls this "the silent migration of books." Then, there is the death of independent bookstores all over the country, driven out of business by the ubiquitous chains. Great old stores like Discover in San Francisco, the Heritage Book Shop in Los Angeles and the Phoenix Bookshop in New York City appear in these pages. All gone forever, part of the Lost World. Even McMurtry's own shop in DC eventually gave way to a Pottery Barn of all insults.

McMurtry writes a simple yet beautiful sentence to describe when family members end up breaking up personal libraries that took years of hard labor to amass and gave endless satisfaction to their owners: "Something was over, and that was that."

But for those of us who have made a living in the word business, McMurtry's wonderful little book comes at a time when we, unimaginably, find ourselves thinking not about retirement plans but whether books and their cousins in serving civilization, newspapers, may be the thing that is over. So far in 2008, 6,000 journalists have lost their jobs and some newspaper stocks have dropped by 84% over the past year. The San Francisco Chronicle is losing $1 million a week. The business is dying.

And for those of us who must supplement our writing income not by selling books but by teaching college kids, we soon learn the depressing truth of America in 2008: young people are not reading either newspapers or books. McMurtry acknowledges this:

"I nowadays have a feeling that not only are most bookmen eccentrics, but even the act they support --- reading --- is an eccentricity now, if a mild one." But he remains optimistic about the future. He writes, "Very quickly, once I had my 19 books, I realized that reading was the cheapest and most stable pleasure in life. Sometimes books excite me, sometimes they sustain me, but rarely do they disappoint me --- as books, that is, if not necessarily the poetry, history, or fiction that they contain."

One can only hope that another young person will one day wander into one of the musty old bookstores remaining, pick up a book that has existed for centuries and be filled with awe and captivated by the magic that is books. Upon that child, the fate of this democracy and perhaps even our civilization may just depend.

For anybody who loves books and reading, BOOKS: A Memoir will be a great read and a treasured addition to your personal library.

--- Reviewed by Tom Callahan

The IDEA of a book about books by Larry McMurtry is utterly compelling. The moment I saw it, I "one-clicked" it. The editorial reviews which describe the book as being what the common McMurtry lover (me) expected, must have scanned the first 30 or so pages and written on reputation. This is a bewilderingly awful book, for all the negative reasons mentioned in other reviews.

The story goes, that when Ernest Hemingway's parents first received copies of In Our Time, they were horrified and furious. His old man sent the books back to the publisher. A year later, in a letter to his father, Hemingway explained to his father what it was he was attempting as a young writer: "You see I am trying in all my stories to get the feeling of the actual life across - not to just depict life - or criticize it - but to actually make it alive. So that when you have read something by me you actually experience the thing. You can't do this without putting in the bad and the ugly as well as what is beautiful."

We know Hemingway more for his off-the-page exploits than those he published, but in these short pieces, peppered with very short (mostly one page) pieces, Hemingway first introduces his hard-boiled style to an American audience. An earlier, much shorter version of this book was published the year before in Paris. Hemingway expects something of his readers. Much remembered for his belief that a good writer can say much more by employing omission than by saying too much, he leaves the job of applying sentiment and emotion to the reader.

Hemingway is the master of the understated short story. He takes simple themes and without use of superlatives, makes it real. This book is a collection of short stories where most feature a man name Nick, from his time as a young boy to manhood as it closes with two stories about him fishing. There is one story where no male name is given, so it may also be about Nick.
The most gripping story is "Soldier's Home", which features a character called Krebs. He is back in Kansas after serving in the European theater in World War I. Unlike many of his fellow Americans, he did not return until the middle of 1919, so he missed most of the ecstasy of the welcome-home parades. Krebs has difficulty coming back to what he left in Kansas. He has no interest in women, a job or anything that could lead to a bettering of his current condition. Living with his parents, they are growing disturbed at his listlessness, his mother sits down with him and wants to pray for his changing. While Krebs vows to change, it is not a heartfelt pronouncement, rather it is more of a "whatever" change in his attitude.
Given his experience, Hemingway knew war. But he also knew the difficulties of peace for men of war and a great deal about the simpler challenges of life. Much of that knowledge and experience is demonstrated in these stories.

It is not true that Hemingway would go on to create works better than some of the stories in this work. In some of these short pieces we have the essential Hemingway, the best that he has to give. In fact his whole picture of the world, the emphasis on 'grace under pressure' the devastating effect of war and violence, the presentation of a kind of code hero, above all the simplicity and beauty of the language are here.
This is the beginning of Hemingway but it is also the essence and the best.

Reading the assembled vignettes and short stories of In Our Time, "Hemingway's American debut," is like taking a look at an artist's working sketches that eventually evolve into masterpieces. The reader finds all of the usual denizens of Hemingway's world: anglers, ex-patriates, toreadors, soldiers, men and women who are in love, and those who have fallen out. And, of course, Nick Adams. In these tales, Hemingway demonstrates the superfluousness of semicolons and the superiority of spartan sentences for which he is famous.

While it isn't my favorite of Hemingway's works, it makes a good sampler for those wishing to get short doses of Hemingway, especially for those whose only exposure to Hemingway was reading The Old Man and The Sea in high school.

This is a fine collection of (exceedingly) short stories that deal with existential themes: nature, alienation, and death. In between the stories Hemingway includes even shorter vignettes of cruelty. Brief comments on the stories (with some plot spoilers) follow:

"On the Quai at Smyrna" - An American encounters casual cruelty among the Turks and Greeks during World War I.

"Indian Camp" - Nick Adams and his father, a scientific man who is quite detached from other people, visit an Indian camp where his father performs a Caesarian without anesthetic. While he performs the operation, the baby's father kills himself by cutting his throat with a straight razor.

"The Doctor and the Doctor's Wife" - Nick's mother is revealed to be weak willed and self-deceiving, and we are not too surprised to learn that Nick prefers his father's company.

"The End of Something" - The adolescent Nick ends a relationship with a girl. Before the end comes, Hemingway provides a typically economical but touching depiction of Marjorie, his girlfriend, as they row across a lake with their lines in the water: "She was intent on the rod all the time they trolled, even while she talked. She loved to fish. She loved to fish with Nick."

"The Three-Day Blow" - Nick and his friend Bill drink quietly in front of a fireplace during a storm - they are just learning to drink - and later disregard an important gun safety precaution.

"The Battler" - Nick encounters a damaged former prizefighter.

"A Very Short Story" - (Well, they almost all are.) An American develops an affection for an Italian nurse and expects to marry her, but she loses interest after the end of the war.

"Soldier's Home" - A young man returns home after World War I, disillusioned and alienated.

"The Revolutionist" - Not really a story at all but a very brief character sketch of a young communist traveling through Italy after World War I.

"Mr. And Mrs. Elliot" - A young poet supposes himself to be a superior sort of person but turns out to be ordinary.

"Cat in the Rain" An American wife tries to rescue a kitten from the rain.

"Out of Season" - A young man wants to go fishing but then decides not to.

"Cross-Country Snow" - Nick Adams and a friend go skiing in Switzerland and find it to be a very satisfying experience.

"My Old Man" - A man's father dies in an accident, tragically, since his son knows that he is crooked.

"Big Two-Hearted River: Part I" - Nick Adams returns to his home ground for a solitary camping trip.

"Big Two-Hearted River: Part II" - He goes fishing too.

i got this for my 6yr old nephew and he loved it but it was too advanced for him.

My son loves this book. He's really into drawing and loves the how-to-draw books, and this was no exception. Within minutes he was whipping up poke'mon from the pages of the book onto paper and making his own comic book of them. Great for any pokemon fan who loves to draw!

My 5 year old loves this book. If he had his way, he would play Pokemon all day every day on his game boy. This is a nice alternative that taps his imagination and creativity. He also tries to get others to draw with him so they have a group activity that is relatively quiet, until they start describing the battles. I highly recommend for any child who already loves other Pokemon activities.

This book was bought for my grandchild, who loved it. It has brought hours of fun while developing artistic ability. A great buy for any Pokemon fan.

I have purchased at least 5 of these books and have given them as gifts to my children and their friends (ages 7-11). The instructions are easy to follow, the drawings are very authentic and kids love that they can draw some of their favorite characters. The ONLY down side, is that I wish it had a greater number of characters to draw. However, IMO it was a real steal for less than $5. All the children we've purchased these for have loved them. I keep an extra one just in case I've forgotten a birthday. You might want to buy an extra one too!

This is an excellent translation by John Ciardi, a fine poet in his own right. But Ciardi displays admirable grace under fire (pun intended) to let Dante shine through without intruding with his (Ciardi's) own poetic intentions. My favorite translation is actually by Sandow Birk, but this is my second favorite. Brilliant notes are a highlight of this text. Everything is explained, everything!

On page 167 of his translation of the Inferno, Anthony Esolen gives the following definition: "A comedy is a song written in the humble style wherein the main character begins in grief and trouble and ends in happiness."

Wonderful, isn't it? Who wouldn't wish to be scooped up in such a Commedia?

But this Esolen, though he aims to be helpful, can be both pushy and pious. I had a boyfriend once just like him. This boyfriend used to get me in the car and start playing cassettes of motivational speakers. At certain points, he'd pause the tape and say, "See? See? That's what YOU are doing WRONG."

This is exactly how Esolen uses his commentaries on Dante. Everything Dante says Esolen uses for some heavy-handed moral point he wants to make.

On the other hand, it seems very appropriate to argue over Dante, who was, after all, the world's most artful picker of fights. Not once in the one hundred cantos of his Commedia does he say "Why can't we just get along?"

There's a lot to be said for an argumentative version. So I read Mandelbaum for beauty, Hollander for the notes, and Esolen for arguments.

Choosing which translation of Dante's Divine Comedy to read is a very subjective and personal question. Any translation involves balancing the meaning, feel, and artistry of the work, normally at the expense of at least one of these qualities. A major consideration is the topic of rhyme. The Divine Comedy has a complex rhyme scheme that suits itself well to the rhyme-rich language of Italian (where, unlike English, many words end in vowels). Translations that attempt to maintain any type of rhyme scheme often sound forced and usually compromise the meaning of the text.

At the other end of the spectrum are straight prose (spoken word) translations. Prose translations are great for communicating the story and it's nuances, however any poetical structure is lost. A third choice is a translation written in blank verse (iambic pentameter). This format allows freedom to communicate the work without rhyme, yet maintains a metrical structure. In addition, it's well suited for English (Shakespeare wrote much of his work in blank verse).

So, which version should you read? I have no vested interested in selling a particular author's work, my recommendations are just my personal opinion. My favorite version is by Mark Musa (written in blank verse). I also enjoy Anthony Esolen's translation (blank verse with some rhyme). They also both have good notes (a necessity). Ultimately, it's great to read a few and decide which version you like best, each has strengths and weaknesses.

I ended up reading this book twice. The first time, I read straight through the poem and was thoroughly unimpressed. The story, as Longfellow himself says, is "tedious" and self-congratulatory and mostly a platform for attacking his enemies. It isn't really great reading.

So what made me read it a second time? This time, Barnes & Noble seems to have found the right person to write the introduction and put together endnotes and discussion notes. The second time through, I read the poem along with each endnote, and my appreciation of the book was dramatically better.

Without the background as presented in the introduction and endnotes, the story is hobbled from the outset. You simply can't understand the story and what Dante is trying to say without a clear understanding of the history and circumstances in which he wrote it. Who are these people in Hell? Why is Hell shaped the way it is? What is the meaning of each character in Hell? The endnotes answer all these questions, and make the story interesting.

The follow-on discussion notes pose an interesting question. Can a reader read and enjoy The Inferno as a book and story, rather than as "literature"? The answer, based on the story alone is a resounding no. However, this edition by Barnes & Noble Classics turns that right around and proves that with the right supporting material, even a "tedious" book like this can be made enjoyable.

5 stars for the excellent B&N addition, but -1 for the story itself.

There have been several excellent translations of Dante in the past few years, all worth reading in their own right. But I retain a special affection for John Ciardi's version, as it's the first one I ever read, at the unprepared & overwhelmed age of 15. I knew of its reputation as a major classic & I was ignorant enough to be unfazed by the prospect of reading it.

Well, to say that I was soon in over my head is an understatement! But Ciardi's fine, lyrical translation, as well as his extensive but always clear notes, enabled me to go on without drowning. And what a journey it was! At the time, I was simply dazzled by the invention & imagery of the work; now that I'm older, I can appreciate its many psychological & spiritual levels. Both the capstone of the Middle Ages & the gateway to the Renaissance, Dante's masterpiece is a stunning exploration of the religious & political world of its time. A lifetime of knowledge went into its creation, and every intricately woven thread of poetry shines like gold, without ever becoming pedantic.

Whether you accept or reject a literal belief in God & Hell, the poem remains an astonishing revelation of & descent into the human psyche, the heart of darkness. Dante's insight that the damned have ultimately chosen their fate remains psychologically true today ... how many people trapped in the private hells of their own lives have placed themselves there, bemoaning their fate while unable to find the courage or strength to escape it?

But that's merely one level of meaning in this magnificent work. A visionary epic of learning, of faith, of poetry, it becomes deeper & richer with every new reading. If you don't know the original language, the next best thing is to read as many translations as possible -- and I still recommend Ciardi's as one of the best. This is an illumination of Hell that can't dim or fade with the years -- most highly recommended!

Tale Of Two Cities represents a change for Dickens. Considering the story a short exposition on the French Revolution, Dickens avoids much explanation or background on a multitude of characters that are trapped in the world pre-french Revolution and yes this is a problem.
The tale opens up with the rescue of Dr. Manette. It's hard to care for Dr. Manette as he comes across as both eccentric and quirky and nothing else. We also don't know his past or his motivations or even why he got locked up in a French prison. His daughter Lucie comes across as a one dimensional soap opera character and Mr. Lorry is a cardboard cutout completing the triangle. Such is the start of the adventure. To be honest, you may struggle since Dickens demands a proper stage to be set introducing character after character without so much as an explanation why we are meeting them and it can seem frustrating. Dickens does this for a reason which is to provide a great deal of twists and turns at the conclusion (all is not what it seems).
Once the conflict kicks in -- Charles Darney (Lucie's husband) must go to France and now the Revolution has kicked in and it becomes a gripping page turner. Dickens is a master writer and creates mood over action and it works. As already mentioned, the plot twists do kick in and there is an obvious feeling of 'forced and contrived' in some instances but the emotions are real, the situations are frightening, and no other book I have read captures the French Revolution in such a personal level as this book. I just finished it tonight and I'm still processing it. If you chose to read it, try to not focus so much on character but situations and the times they are set in and you will more appreciate how wonderful this story really is even to today's modern audiences.

Charles Dickens is not a boring, old foagie author from times gone by, droning on and on in a language that cannot resonate with modern readers. Dickens was a great writer, a good man (flawed and human in his own life), and in "A Tale of Two Cities," he spins a story of the most terrible and wonderful, of profoundness and poignancy, of the best and the worst times and how people reacted to them.

I originally read "A Tale of Two Cities" as an assignment for high school English class. What a pleasant surprise I was in for. This book has every right to be called a classic. Its themes of political disillusion, cultural progress or regression, families torn apart and reconciled, love lost and gained, honorable sacrifice and religious confusion are true and timeless.

Dickens' characters speak to us today through Lucie's eternal love of a wife and mother and daughter, of Sydney Carton's rejected lover, of Charles Darnay's moral man trying to right the wrongs of his family's past. Carton, the tragic protagonist, is a wonderful, eventual hero, and a great study for theologians and psychologists. As an adult and now Christian, I have much greater appreciation for and understanding of Dickens' Biblical references, and of Carton's spiritual journey that occurs just before the end of Book the Third.

I highly recommend "A Tale of Two Cities" to young people, for a largely historically accurate and interesting account of the French Revolution, and the exploration of important psychological and religious topics. This is also quite enjoyable reading for lovers of classics, those interested in historical fiction, or even just a good novel. Do spend your money on an unabridged printing.

And, for fans of the new Doctor Who, check out the episode featuring Mr. Dickens, with Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper, "The Unquiet Dead."

I started reading this before I would go to bed, so I think I was not fully conscious of stuff I read, so I missed alot of detail...I think. So after reading 25% of the book and being utterly confused, I looked it up on the computer and got a handle on the plot and then continued reading it with greater understanding. It was a good book...I enjoyed it in the end.

Perhaps it's my lack of enthusiam for classic English literature, but I found this book dull and very unamusing. I purchased this because my English teacher wanted us to read it, and while I don't regret buying it, I highly doubt I'm going to read it again.

Though, keep in mind I'm but a teenager, and not a fan of the classics. I'm sure if the classics are your thing, then you'll love this book. The included appendix and notes help out a lot.

Some honest disclosures. My strongest academic credentials relevant to literary criticism are that I minored in English. I have never been a "student" of Dickens. I enjoy Shakespeare plays in the same manner that I enjoy analyzing baseball games: I always get the point and relish in the general purpose of the production, but there are finer nuances that are beyond me and most of the people watching probably have a more sophisticated appreciation than I do. All of that stated, I dove into this classic Dickens title (actually, reading it aloud to my pre-teen kids) and was pleasantly surprised to find that I throughly enjoyed the experience.
As practically every review on this page will tell you, or as could be digested from Wikipedia or Cliff Notes, this novel is set in the circumstances of the French Revolution. What Dickens provided is a human tale from the perspective of the coming (and elapsed) revolution on the lives within one extended family based in Paris and London. Make no mistake: this book is long and plodding, and the language is sufficiently "Dickensesque" to discourage any modern American reader, but the investment of time and attention is rewarding. Dickens is wonderful, and it is a delight to read the words of someone whose universal messages can still reach across the centuries and cultures that separate us (like Twain, Shakespeare, and, what the heck, the Apostle Paul).
I am not expert enough in English literature or French history to provided more of an endorsement than this: this is a great read and is surprisingly accessable. The themes of violence, greed, rebellion, hatred, love, charity, mercy, and sacrifice are clear enough for anyone to appreciate. And my children, as young as eight-years, eagerly settled down for a chapter night after night. Another big shout goes out for Dickens.

This novel, written by the mature Jane Austen and published after her death, reveals the strengths of Austen's art. First, she is a careful and exact observer of human character, as compared to those that base a novel of emotion or behavior. Second, she is totally aware of class distinctions and the determinism that is created by a rigid class structure. She explores how character is independent of class but often mistakenly associated with upper class persons. Third, Austen is also a comedic writer, full of wit and funny portrayals of hypocrites, though many may find fault with my interpretation below since this aspect of Austen's art is rarely discussed. Fourth, Austen carefully portrays the world of 17th century upper class women which could be viewed as oppressive, paternalistic, and deterministic. However she continually portrays women as resilient actors rather than victims.

She was a superb observer and interpreter of human character. This is different from those contemporary authors who are more likely to explore emotion and behavior. Character in the work of Austen is destiny and good character eventually leads to better outcomes and poor character leads to worse outcomes. Whereas at times her characters exhibit emotion, they are more likely to withhold emotion and when this withholding is done carefully and discretely, Austen would see this as signs of good character. Whereas she has high regard for honesty, she seems to see honesty as having both a proper method of presentation and to have proper timing in order to have impact. The letter Captain Wentworth writes to Anne Elliott at the end of the novel is a perfect example of suppressed emotion transformed into carefully strategically timed truth-telling.

Class differences play and huge role in the works of Austen and Persuasion explores this with the romance of a rich girl of noble family in love with a handsome but middle class young man who both have reversal of fortune and 8 years later re-encounter each other. Anne Elliott is surrounded by a father, two sisters, and her deceased mother's best friend; all of whom use social class as a cognitive short hand for who is worthy and who is not. Anne is the character that can penetrate the smoke of social class to see the true strengths of character underneath. Interestingly, when Persuasion was written, the Napoleonic wars were over and many young men who made their fortunes in the British navy returned with fortunes into English society. Here the new rich encounter the old landed rich, a formula for social upheaval. Austen perfectly articulates this as the Elliott family vacates their ancestral home, Kellynch, and rent the mansion to an Admiral and his wife.

Austen was witty and could be considered a comedic writer. Her descriptions of human folly, prejudice, snobbery, and hypocrisy are all skillfully handled. She never preaches. She allows the snob, the fool, the hypocrite to reveal themselves through their speech and interactions. The outburst of Anne's father, Sir Elliott, upon hearing this his daughter is visiting a sickly poor school friend instead of visiting barely know distant rich relatives is priceless.

In summary, Austen's Persuasion is a good example of Austen's considerable skill at character analysis and revelation and development of character in social interactions and social contexts. She is delightful to read.

This book answered a lot of questions that came up after I saw the movie i.e. what's with Mrs. Clay and the young Mr. Elliot? A must read if you really want to understand the movie.

When Jane Austen finished "Persuasion" in 1816, she was already suffering from the effects of the disease that would kill her the following year. "Persuasion" is rather shorter than its precessors such as "Sense and Sensibility" and "Pride and Prejudice". It is however the polished work of a mature author, and easily holds its own with her other finished novels.

As the story opens, Sir Walter Elliot, a vain and foppish baronet facing bankruptcy, is persuaded to rent his home and move his family to Bath in order to economize on expenses. The middle daughter, Anne, unmarried and ignored by her family, is shocked to learn that the prospective renters are an Admiral Croft and his wife, whose brother is one Frederick Wentworth. Eight years earlier, Wentworth, then a young naval officer lacking wealth and status, had wooed Anne, who was persuaded by her mentor, Lady Russell, to reject his suit on the grounds of his lack of prospects. The kind-hearted but much put-upon Anne is left behind by her family to close up the house and to take care of her hypochondriac married younger sister Mary, who lives nearby.

While visiting with Mary and her husband Charles Musgrave, Anne encounters the now Captain Wentworth, wealthy with prize money and looking for a potential wife among Charles' two sisters. Wentworth is distant and correct with Anne. When Wentworth proposes a visit to the seaside village of Lyme Regis, Anne is included in the group. While there, Wentworth appears to settle on Louisa Musgrave, only to have Louisa be seriously injured in an accident. The practical Anne takes charge in the crisis, causing Wentworth to take renewed notice of her.

Anne ends up in Bath, where her family pursues a meaningless round of social calls. A handsome and long-missing cousin materializes to reconcile with the Elliots and to pay court to Anne. The long-suffering Anne must balance his suspicious attentions with the unclear intentions of Wentworth, who follows Anne to Bath.

Anne still loves Wentworth, but hardly dares to hope that he will pass up younger and more attractive women to renew his relationship with her. The inarticulate Wentworth finally finds his voice in a note to Anne, giving her another chance to make the right choice.

In this final novel, Anne wrestles with a dilemma common to Austen heroines, whether to marry for love or money and security. The younger Anne was persuaded not to marry for love because Wentworth lacked the money and prospects to give her the security of her station in life. In revisiting that choice, Anne concludes that the advice was correct under the circumstances but proven wrong by subsequent events. Anne believes in marrying for love; the further implication of her internal argument is that she and Wentworth should have waited for each other while he acquired the financial security necessary for their successful life together.

"Persuasion" is a well-written and moving story, filled with the usual well-developed characters and often biting social commentary of a Jane Austen novel. It is very highly recommended to her fans and to those readers looking for an excellent period romance.

Persuasion is Jane Austen's most sophisticated story and writing. She lovingly and incisively demonstrates the problems of being a well-bred sensitive person in a society that's more intrigued by social standing, money, and polite conversation than by good character.

Persuasion is Anne Elliot's story. The title's initial allusion is to Anne's brush with matrimony when a promising, but not rich, naval officer, Captain Wentworth, proposed and she fell in love with him at 19. But Anne's deceased mother's friend, Lady Russell, persuaded Anne not to make the match. Up until the time of the story, Anne hasn't had another suitor and she's now well past the usual age of marriage at 29 and "her bloom had vanish early." Her father's spendthrift ways mean that Anne could bring little money to a marriage so she's expecting not to marry.

While in her social class that lack of a husband is a drawback, in reality her family is a greater problem. Her father, Sir Walter Elliot, is a baronet who spends too much money, is obsessed by social rank, loves to be around the "beautiful people" and admire himself in a mirror, and keeps company with an unsuitable, scheming widow, Mrs. Clay, who is looking for a husband and has latched onto Elizabeth as friend. Anne's older sister, Elizabeth, is also unmarried and is as equally obsessed with social status as their father. Both Sir Walter and Elizabeth fail to value Anne and looked to her to suit their conveniences. The other daughter, Mary, is married but the connection doesn't thrill either Sir Walter or Elizabeth. Mary sees Anne as a virtual servant who should wait on her every beck and call when Anne is her guest.

Due to Sir Walter's over spending of his income, it is decided he will rent the family estate, Kellynch Hall, while he, Elizabeth, and Anne take up less expensive quarters and a reduced social life in Bath. This change sets lots of new events into motion, not the least of which is Anne being re-introduced to Captain Wentworth who now has a fortune and seems to be looking for a lively, young wife. Only their common commitment to being polite makes time in one another's company tolerable. What strong emotions burn under the surface? She's very embarrassed, but Captain Wentworth is hard to read.

In the course of the book, you'll find out a lot about social climbing in Regency England, the finances of the social elites and those who were up-and-coming, how marriage agreements were struck, and how the naval officers differed from the gentry. You'll also be impressed, I'm sure, by the patina of politeness that served as a social lubricant among people who often didn't care a trifle for one another.

In such a society, people mostly wore masks of being thoughtful, considerate people while in reality they were seldom thinking about very much and didn't care much for others. Anne Elliot is the exception in that her heart and mind are actually devoted to the service of others.

One of the most interesting parts of the story is how it was possible (mostly by accident) to sort out the phonies from among those with glittering manners.

Anne Elliot is one of the most memorable and admirable characters in English literature. Do read this book and find out about the other kinds of persuasion that took place during this year of her fictional life. You'll be delighted that you did.

Persuasion, Jane Austen's last novel, is the story of Anne Elliott and Frederick Wentworth, two young lovers who are persuaded to be separated rather than marrying when they first fall in love around age nineteen because of lack of prospects. The story picks up eight years later when circumstances have changed and the now Captain Wentworth has returned to the area with a successful career and Anne's family is now reduced in financial status. Anne wonders if perhaps Frederick might still harbor feelings for her, but this being Austen, things never go smoothly and there is quite a lot of wondering and subterfuge, and colorful characters to keep things amusing.

This is not my favorite Austen; things started off quite slowly and there is not a great deal of dialogue. I did enjoy the fact that Frederick and Anne rediscovered each other relatively later in their lives, and as always, the build-up to the happy ending kept me smiling. While Persuasion doesn't have quite the emotional zing that Austen's earlier works do, it is still enjoyable. I doubt there's such a thing as an Austen novel that won't capture you in some way, and Persuasion accomplishes just that in its subtle, quiet style.

Adapted from the nightmarish short story from early 20th-century author Franz Kafka, Peter Kuper's graphic novel version breathes new life into angst-ridden hero Gregor Samsa, an overworked young salesman who finds himself getting stepped on--figuratively--after waking up as a giant cockroach. While Kuper's writing seems simple enough, he also decorates the word bubbles to further distinguish each character. And what characters this book has! While the reader may find the Samsa family's reaction to Gregor's transformation to be natural, he/she may actually find Gregor's treatment to be deplorable regardless. And the rough black/white artistic style Kuper brings to the table merely adds the mood for an already dark, dreary story. A nightmare that goes on long after you wake up.

This comic is unrated: Adult Situations.

franz Kafka's "The Metamorphosis" is an absolute favorite of mine. The amount of analysis that has been put into this book by writing critics is simply amazing. We are talking about a story that is fifty something pages long! The great thing is that the story itself is very simple the meaning behind it has been debated for decades.

I recommend this version by Bantam Classic because it is almost pocket size and they provide a suprisingly extensive and varied amount of essays on the possible meanings.I think I payed six bucks! Freaking awesome!

Read this story

As strange and surreal Kafkas "The Metamorphosis" is, it is really about all of us, and just how far we are all willing to go to become who we really are, and truly understand ourselves. The book provides an excellent method for keeping in touch with yourself, and discovering things you never knew. Just stay away from the Raid can.

Literature throughout history has tried to exemplify the personal identity of human beings, but none has done it so creatively and as hilariously as Franz Kafka's masterful novella, "The Metamorphosis". Kafka has created the most absurd situation; a traveling salesman wakes up one morning to find that he has turned into a giant dung beetle. Yet Kafka uses the absurdity of this premise to exemplify how the unfortunate Gregor Samsa (the man-bug) frees himself from a life of servitude and monotony, to assert his own personal identity through his metamorphosis. Franz Kafka uses brilliant symbolism, hilarious tone, and unique characterizations to exemplify the plight and transformation of this unfortunate salesman and it is through these tools that Kafka creates an absurd experience that any reader can relate to.

The use of symbolism throughout this story is what truly allows the reader to understand and appreciate Gregor's push towards independence. Gregor was transformed into a bug, but Kafka uses this transformation as a symbol for Gregor's metamorphosis towards humanity. Before Gregor's transformation, he only lived life to serve others, but through his metamorphosis Gregor slowly comes to meet his own desires, seeking a more personal independence and even coming to appreciate music and art. But most importantly, it is through Gregor's final understanding of love that Kafka truly exemplifies how human the insect truly is. Kafka uses the symbolism of Gregor becoming a bug to represent the tragedy of the life that Gregor was leading, and his metamorphosis symbolizes a more gradual metamorphosis towards an individual humanity. By physically disassociating Gregor from humanity, Kafka perfectly exemplifies how human Gregor has really become. Kafka's use of symbolism is what truly makes the reader's experience relatable to the tale. Although nobody could ever experience what it feels like to wake up as a giant insect, Gregor's struggle for an identity is a trial that is real and relatable to all of us. Kafka represents independence as what truly makes Gregor human, and this same truth exists within all of us. It is through the symbolism of the metamorphosis that Kafka relates this to us, the readers, and he does this brilliantly.

The tragedy and emotional connection that Kafka elicits to the reader is of true merit, but the book's success lies in its ability to tie this tragic tale with such a humorous tone. "The Metamorphosis" is an obvious tragedy and it expresses a very serious message. Kafka leaves us no choice but to pity Gregor for the eventual state of his life, but despite all of this, Kafka has written one twisted and hilarious story. The dark, humorous tone that Kafka injects into his words is apparent from the very first sentence, as the story begins with an immediate shock: "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" (1). Kafka's very light and nonchalant voice perfectly emulates the tone of the entire book, and it makes this absurd, while admittedly unfortunate situation to be incredibly laughable. Even when Gregor's family is contemplating murdering him, Kafka injects a satirical wit into the tone of the dialogue that the obviously tragic situation is unfortunately funny. Kafka uses humor perfectly to further exemplify the pain that Gregor and subsequently his family experience as they live through this "metamorphosis" and it ultimately makes the sorrowful events that much more apparent. The absurdity of the story makes the connection between reader and bug an ironic parallel that intensifies the humor of the story. Kafka has created a storyline that readers relate to and appreciate, but the sheer humor of the story allows the reader to appreciate this connection even further. The storyline is absurd and unbelievable, but because the reader is forced to relate to this situation, despite the logical impossibilities, we as readers can appreciate the connection we make with Gregor even more. The absurdity of the story enriches our ability to connect with the text.

Kafka's ability to interpret humanity through this great piece of work was ultimately in his ability to invent the perfect character. Gregor Samsa is one of the most pathetic, yet endearing figures in literature. Kafka's characterization of Gregor was perfect in representing his message throughout the story, because Gregor's evolution was the point and purpose of the entire novella. In only forty-five pages, Kafka creates a character that is interesting and dynamic. We see him grow and fall, all the time evoking certain responses within the reader. Franz Kafka has brilliantly invented Gregor so that all readers can appreciate him, pity him, and relate to his struggle and growth throughout the book. This is what makes the book so enjoyable to the reader, we want to respond to the protagonist, and Kafka has invented a conflict within Gregor that is seemingly universal to the development of mankind. There is no background to the tragic figure given before we are lunged into the heart of the story and the author has made it so that there is none needed. Kafka makes it obvious how miserable Gregor's state of being was before his awful transfiguration, and the reader is forced to be emotionally connected to this struggle. Kafka creates a character that is realistic, seemingly simple, but with complex thoughts and emotions as his struggle progresses. Franz Kafka has created a character that resonates with readers that familiarize with his struggle; this is what makes his story such a success.

Franz Kafka is clearly a masterful writer and completely unique in his style and approach to storytelling. He has reinvented a storyline that is seemingly ordinary if not overlooked and recreated in a hilarious, yet completely intricate drama. Kafka has created something that all readers can appreciate as the simplicity and ambiguity of the story allows for people to interpret Gregor's tragic story in many different ways. Franz Kafka was blatantly purposeful in his creation of this obviously ridiculous storyline, because the symbolism that he creates and the characters that he invents allow the reader to experience and interpret this story for themselves. "The Metamorphosis" is just great writing; it will leave the reader feeling sad for the tragic hero, while laughing hysterically at the absurdity of the situation that Kafka creates. This book is a literal classic and is a story that will leave you feeling enlightened and slightly bemused, but ultimately more appreciative of life, family, and the personal humanity that each one of us has created for ourselves.

I just recently read this and am still attempting to digest and understand what Kafka was getting at with this story. Many other reviewers have weighed in with their opinions - please do go through them. I think what I feel to be the fact is that the story is indeed an indictment of the bourgeois lifestyle; Gregory literally becomes a bug after years of being treated like such by his boss and managers. This is a must-have for anyone reading/studying classical literature.