SUMMARY: The Metamorphosis and Other Stories, by Franz Kafka, is part of the Barnes & Noble Classics series, which 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 influencesโbiographical, historical, and literaryโto enrich each reader's understanding of these enduring works. Virtually unknown during his lifetime, Franz Kafka is now one of the worldโs most widely read and discussed authors. His nightmarish novels and short stories have come to symbolize modern manโs anxiety and alienation in a bizarre, hostile, and dehumanized world. This vision is most fully realized in Kafkaโs masterpiece, โThe Metamorphosis,โ a story that is both harrowing and amusing, and a landmark of modern literature. Bringing together some of Kafkaโs finest work, this collection demonstrates the richness and variety of the authorโs artistry. โThe Judgment,โ which Kafka considered to be his decisive breakthrough, and โThe Stoker,โ which became the first chapter of his novel Amerika, are here included. These two, along with โThe Metamorphosis,โ form a suite of stories Kafka referred to as โThe Sons,โ and they collectively present a devastating portrait of the modern family. Also included are โIn the Penal Colony,โ a story of a torture machine and its operators and victims, and โA Hunger Artist,โ about the absurdity of an artist trying to communicate with a misunderstanding public. Kafkaโs 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.