Wings of Gregor Samsa: Motif’s Implementation in Russian Thought

This article is dedicated to the reception of Franz Kafka’s novella “The Metamorphosis” within Russian intellectual discourse. The aim of this article is to analyze various interpretative perspectives regarding the presence of wings in the transformed Gregor Samsa. The analysis juxtaposes different readings of the novella, highlighting the perspectives of Russian translator G. Notkin, critic V. Belonozhko, and Russian-speaking playwright Z. Sagalov, author of the play “Don’t Trust Mr. Kafka.” It is revealed that the question of Gregor’s wings presents contrasting resolutions in scholarly and translational hermeneutics on one hand, and artistic interpretations on the other. The issue of whether transformed Gregor possesses wings was raised by V. Nabokov, and in the scholarly and translational tradition that challenges Nabokov’s interpretation, Gregor’s metamorphosis into a winged insect is rejected. Conversely, artistic hermeneutics portray Gregor as a winged creature. The relevance of this interpretation is substantiated by referencing Kafka's unfinished novel “Wedding Preparations in the Village,” which contains an image of transformation into an insect with wings. The comparative analysis and observations presented by the author form the basis for an original interpretation of the novella, supported by an examination of its narrative specifics and a discussion of English translation practices regarding the lexeme denoting the insect into which Gregor transformed.

Franz Kafka, novella, The Metamorphosis, Zinovy Sagalov, image of Gregor Samsa