This book, titled in its original language as Der Zauerberg, was first published in 1924. Of all the German literature that has came out in the 20th century, this is still regarded as one of the most important and influential. The Magic Mountain Thomas Mann still holds up as a great book with many hidden messages that are still valuable today.
Mann spent twelve years working on the manuscript for this book. While he was working on it, his wife was experiencing issues with her lungs and was treated by doctors in Switzerland. During two months when he was visiting his wife, the author was inspired to form the foundation of the novel's opening chapter.
In the years that he was working on this monumental book, World War I broke out and forced him to postpone his writing. It may have seemed like an obstacle at the time, but the experience of living through those times had a massive impact on Mann's writing. After seeing the results of the major conflict, the author reassessed many of his values and made big changes to his narrative.
This type of story is known as a bildungsroman. This form of storytelling focuses on the transformative journey of the protagonist rather than the protagonist him or herself. The story told in this book is of a simple young man and his personal development over his formative years, focusing on all the experiences that come with this journey.
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.
Disease plays a big part in this novel, and has cryptic and layered meaning like almost everything else in the book. The author poised disease in his story so that it could symbolize a symptom of the need for spiritual growth not just of individuals but of society as a whole. His favorite theme of the polar nature of spirit and life and the need to transcend it is central to the story.
This is not a book that can be casually read and easily understood. It is highly cryptic, and there are so many separate symbolic chains of events that it is hard to keep track of them all. One thing to expect as a reader of this book is for the narration to ask him or her certain questions, which must be answered thoughtfully for the meaning to be caught.
The complexity of the book is in part due to the way the author uses both realism and symbolism alongside each other. This makes it hard to always tell what is symbolic and what isn't, and his use of irony makes it even harder. Mann's own recommendation was to read the book twice, so there is no shame in not understanding everything on the first read.
Mann spent twelve years working on the manuscript for this book. While he was working on it, his wife was experiencing issues with her lungs and was treated by doctors in Switzerland. During two months when he was visiting his wife, the author was inspired to form the foundation of the novel's opening chapter.
In the years that he was working on this monumental book, World War I broke out and forced him to postpone his writing. It may have seemed like an obstacle at the time, but the experience of living through those times had a massive impact on Mann's writing. After seeing the results of the major conflict, the author reassessed many of his values and made big changes to his narrative.
This type of story is known as a bildungsroman. This form of storytelling focuses on the transformative journey of the protagonist rather than the protagonist him or herself. The story told in this book is of a simple young man and his personal development over his formative years, focusing on all the experiences that come with this journey.
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.
Disease plays a big part in this novel, and has cryptic and layered meaning like almost everything else in the book. The author poised disease in his story so that it could symbolize a symptom of the need for spiritual growth not just of individuals but of society as a whole. His favorite theme of the polar nature of spirit and life and the need to transcend it is central to the story.
This is not a book that can be casually read and easily understood. It is highly cryptic, and there are so many separate symbolic chains of events that it is hard to keep track of them all. One thing to expect as a reader of this book is for the narration to ask him or her certain questions, which must be answered thoughtfully for the meaning to be caught.
The complexity of the book is in part due to the way the author uses both realism and symbolism alongside each other. This makes it hard to always tell what is symbolic and what isn't, and his use of irony makes it even harder. Mann's own recommendation was to read the book twice, so there is no shame in not understanding everything on the first read.
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