vendredi 1 décembre 2017

Understanding The Magic Mountain Thomas Mann

By Joshua Wagner


This book was published in 1924, and over the years it has come to be known as one of the most important German books of the 20th century. The original German title of the novel is Der Zauerberg. Because of the symbolic complexity and universal nature of the messages being conveyed in the book, The Magic Mountain Thomas Mann has become a classic.

This compelling story took a total of twelve years for the author to complete. During this time, he wasn't strictly working on this book, since several important events both historically and in the writer's own personal life occurred in this period of time. His wife's lung problems and her treatment in Switzerland resulted in a two-month long visit that had a large impact on the first chapter of the story.

When the First World War broke out, Mann's work on this novel was interrupted. While this terrible conflict may have delayed the completion of the book, it also had a profound impact on it and was an essential experience of the author for the book to be what it was. This war and the turmoil that followed it caused the author to reassess many of his values and rewrite much of the book.

This novel is known as a type of bildungsroman. The nature of stories like these is to focus not on the hero or heroine but rather their journey or education itself. This story of an apparently simple young man and his journey of personal growth focuses on the path he takes and the experiences associated with it, some real and some imagined.

One of the most well-used literary devices in this book is irony. Hans Castorp, the main character, is declared as simplistic early on in the story. However, he is soon shown to be not as simplistic as he first appeared. This is a commentary on the complexity of everyone. Reality is often simplified for Hans, ironically framing the complexities of life.

One of the central themes of the book is disease both as it pertains to individuals and to society. Symbolically, disease comes to represent a symptom of a need for change, and sometimes for a spiritual journey to be made. The polarity of life and spirit is a theme that the author uses a lot in his work, and resolves that this polarity must be transcended.

One of the big things that many readers struggle with when reading and trying to understand this book is the way the narrator challenges the reader by posing certain questions. This makes the work much more interactive than other novels, and requires a higher level of engagement from the reader. Sometimes these questions are obvious, while other times they are subtle and hidden.

The Magic Mountain has now been read and reviewed by countless people, and it still eludes the comprehension of many readers. The irony that pervades the narrative, as well as the blending of realism with symbolism, result in a story that is difficult to analyze. Mann himself even recommended that the book be read twice to fully understand it.




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