poetsquib.com

A new book to be released later this month Excavating Kafka by James Hawes is going to take a close look at, amongst other things, Kafka’s porn stash. Hawes says it includes ‘quite unpleasant’ acts, including bestiality. An article in The Times on this topic goes on to say the following (the way this is worded makes me think the journo was being a bit facetious)

‘Kafka’s interest in pornography, which left traces in such works as The Metamorphosis…’

The Metamorphosis is my favourite Kafka story and I remember finding it terribly sad and moving. But never arousing. The idea that there is some pornographic subtext happening in this story is totally ludicrous. But just what is an insect fetish anyway?

Luckily there are academics who study such things, people such as G.A. Pearson whose article Insect Fetish Objects appeared in a cultural entomological digest in 1997 here.

‘Insects become a fetish object for the crush freak, who wishes to be an insect ground underfoot. Witnessing or imagining the act of a woman crushing an insect is sexually arousing. The bigger the foot the better; shoe size 9 and up are preferred.’ (Pearson)

I think this is a long and silly bow to draw in relation to Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. This story is about powerlessness and alienation. It’s about so many things. The only thing it’s not about is some crass insect fetish

Thanks Boing Boing for the link