Metamorphosis: Group 3

Posted by Natalie

When Gregor is in his insect form, about what size do you believe he is?  Is Gregor small enough to hide himself under the sofa or behind the door without being seen, or is he so large that he needs to cover himself with a sheet? Does the insect Gregor maintain one size throughout the book or does his size seem to differ depending on his situation? What does the size of Gregor's insect body say about who he is as a person? Is Gregor's size a reflection of his opinion of himslef or is it a reflection of how others see him?

Metamorphosis: Group 2

[Posted by KATE]

Could we consider Gregor to be insane?  Why or why not?  Does his attitude of normalcy towards his condition when he wakes up at the beginning of the story reveal anything about his mental state?

Metamorphosis: Group 1

Posted by LEANNE

How, and in what ways can we use Freud's ideas on family romances/drama to read The Metamorphosis? Does the story assert or challenge these ideas, and where might we see examples of this?

What do you make of the ending?

Gustl: Group 3

Egon Schiele, Portrait of Anton Peschka, 1909

Aristotle suggested that proper tragedy should always move toward the moment of self-reflection/self-recognition (anagnorisis) that transforms the tragic hero’s consciousness. Does such a moment arrive for Gustl? Why or why not? Is Lt. Gustl a tragedy or a comedy?

Gustl: Group 2

Egon Schiele, Self-Portrait with Physalis, 1912

In what ways might we see Lt. Gust as an exploration of the psychological mechanism of repression? What sort of things does Gustl deny, disavow or otherwise repress? Why is this significant?

Gustl: Group 1

Egon Schiele, Portrait of an Officer, 1916

What does the narrative strategy of interior monologue/stream-of-consciousness achieve in terms of rendering the character of Lt. Gustl?  Why do you think this might be important to what you perceive as Schnitzler’s larger aims?