Thomas Mann, one of Germany's most celebrated authors, achieved worldwide fame and recognition for his novel "The Magic Mountain." Set in a sanatorium high in the Swiss Alps, the book tells the story of Hans Castorp, a young man who visits his cousin and stays for several years, immersing himself in a world of philosophy, illness, and personal reflection. Mann's portrayal of the sanatorium as a microcosm of society allows him to explore a variety of themes and ideas. Through his characters' discussions and debates, he delves into topics such as the nature of time, the conflict between reason and passion, and the impact of illness on individual identity. These philosophical musings are intertwined with a gripping narrative that keeps readers engaged from start to finish. Mann's writing style is known for its richness and complexity.
With this dizzyingly rich novel of ideas, Thomas Mann rose to the front ranks of the great modern novelists, winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1929. The Magic Mountain takes place in an exclusive tuberculosis sanatorium in the Swiss Alps–a community devoted to sickness that serves as a fictional microcosm for Europe in the days before the First World War.
The Magic Mountain is the answer you want to give if you are asked what one book you would take to a desert island when you love Western culture but don t want to look as basic as those who name the complete works of William Shakespeare. We may find it overly intellectual, but life is full of intellectual engagement for many of us, and if not intellectual then at least populated with ideas.
Mann's writing style is known for its richness and complexity. His detailed descriptions paint vivid pictures of the sanatorium and its inhabitants, immersing readers in the world of the novel. His use of symbolism adds another layer of meaning, allowing for multiple interpretations and deepening the overall impact of the story.
Alec Nevala-Lee
(Note: For the rest of the month, I’m counting down the ten works of fiction that have had the greatest influence on my life as an author and reader, in order of their first publication. For earlier entries in the series, please see here.)
Whenever I think of Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain, I always begin with the blankets. They’re a pair of lovely camel-hair blankets, “extra long and wide, in a natural beige fabric that was delightfully soft to the touch,” and they’re used by the residents of a sanitarium in the Alps while lounging on their balconies for their daily rest cure, which can last for hours. They certainly sound cozy:
Whether it was the texture of the cushions, the perfect slant of the back support, the proper height and width of the armrests, or simply the practical consistency of the neck roll—whatever it was, nothing could possibly have offered more humane benefits for a body at rest than this splendid lounge chair.
If you can understand the appeal of those blankets—and of their promise of a life spent in glorious inactivity—you can begin to grasp what makes this novel so fascinating, despite its daunting appearance. As I’ve mentioned before, The Magic Mountain may be the least inviting of all major twentieth-century novels: it lacks the snob appeal of Ulysses or Proust, its structure is classical and crystalline, and a plot summary doesn’t exactly make it sound like a page-turner. The first necessary step is a leap of the imagination, a willingness to acknowledge the part of yourself that, like the young Hans Castorp, is drawn to the idea of giving up all ambition, all advancement, all action, for the sake of a life spent in the confines of a comfortable chair. Hans Castorp’s reasoning may not be airtight, but it’s hard to deny its power: “On the whole, however, it seemed to him that although honor had its advantages, so, too, did disgrace, and that indeed the advantages of the latter were almost boundless.”
In the end, Hans, a perfectly healthy young man, ends up staying at the sanitarium for seven years. Of course, what he and the reader soon discover is that this retreat into inactivity is secretly a plunge into something else. Despite its unlikely subject matter, The Magic Mountain vibrates on every page with life, intelligence, and insight. Mann likes to remind us, a bit too insistently, that Hans is “ordinary,” but really, as Harold Bloom points out, he’s immensely likable and curious, and you come to identify with him enormously. The story in which he finds himself has often been called a novel of ideas, and it is, but it’s much more: Mann stuffs it with compelling set pieces—Walpurgis Night, Hans’s nearly fatal misadventure in the snowstorm, the séance, the duel between Naptha and Settembrini—that would be high points in any novel, and it isn’t hard to see why the book was a huge bestseller in its time. Like Proust, Mann has useful insights into a dazzling variety of subjects, ranging from medicine to music to the nature of time, even as he depicts a world in which these ideas are on the verge of being destroyed. The characters are rendered with uncanny vividness, and when you’re done, you feel as if you’ve passed half a lifetime in their company, and the memory is charged with nostalgia, longing, and regret. It took me a long time to come around to this book, and it sat unread on my shelf for years. When I finally started it for real, it was with a distinct sense of obligation. And what I found, much to my surprise, was that it was the novel I’d been looking for my entire life.
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And what are those ideas? Well, we might say that Settembrini is a humanist. He is buoyed by a beautiful hope for a better world, a cosmopolitan world of peace and fairness. Even stricken by illness, he is a member of all sorts of international committees and organisations that aim to improve the world. To give an example of the sort of work he does, he is engaged with creating a volume for The Sociology of Suffering, a series of books that aims to categorise every sort of suffering in the world that it may then be eliminated through the power of reason. Settembrini is the bright light of the Enlightenment, the heroic intellectual that we never have enough of. “Order and classification are the beginning of mastery, whereas the truly dreadful enemy is the unknown,” he tells us. A hero he is, but also limited. There are only so many international organisations that seem to be doing very little other than convening which we can handle.
"The Magic Mountain" was first published in 1924 and quickly garnered acclaim for its deep exploration of human existence and its innovative narrative structure. The book's success established Mann as one of the leading voices of German literature and earned him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1929. Mann's work continued to engage with philosophical ideas and social commentary throughout his career. He is also known for his novel "Death in Venice," which explores themes of beauty, desire, and the decay of civilization. Despite his literary achievements, Mann's life was not without controversy. As a prominent intellectual in Germany, he was forced to flee the country with the rise of the Nazi regime due to his anti-fascist views. He lived in exile in Switzerland and later the United States until returning to Germany after World War II. "The Magic Mountain" remains an enduring classic of literature, studied and admired by readers and scholars worldwide. Mann's ability to merge deep philosophical ideas with compelling storytelling continues to captivate audiences, making him a truly magical novelist..
Reviews for "Thomas Mann as the Voice of German Modernism in "The Magic Mountain"
1. Emily - 1 star
I found "The Magic Mountain" by Thomas Mann to be incredibly boring and pretentious. The plot was slow and meandering, filled with long-winded philosophical conversations that went over my head. I struggled to connect with any of the characters, who were overly intellectual and detached from reality. The excessive descriptions and obscure references only added to my confusion and frustration. Overall, I was disappointed by this novel and would not recommend it to others.
2. David - 2 stars
"The Magic Mountain" was a difficult read for me. The author's writing style was convoluted and verbose, making it hard to follow the story. The narrative was filled with unnecessary tangents, and it felt like the author was more interested in showcasing his literary prowess than engaging the reader. The characters lacked depth, and their constant philosophical discussions felt forced and artificial. While there were moments of brilliance in the book, they were overshadowed by its overall slow pace and lack of a compelling plot.
3. Sarah - 1 star
I struggled to finish "The Magic Mountain" due to its dense and inaccessible nature. The novel is filled with esoteric references and complex ideas that made it hard for me to stay engaged. The characters felt distant and unrelatable, making it difficult to care about their lives and struggles. The slow pacing and lack of significant plot developments only added to my frustration with this book. I can understand why some readers may appreciate the intellectual depth of "The Magic Mountain," but for me, it was a tedious and unenjoyable experience.
4. Robert - 2 stars
"The Magic Mountain" is a classic that many hail as a masterpiece, but I fail to see its appeal. The novel was overwritten and excessively long, with unnecessary tangents that detracted from the main story. The characters were uninteresting and lacked development, and their constant philosophical discussions became tiresome. Despite some beautifully descriptive passages, the overall reading experience was tedious and unsatisfying. While I respect the literary merit of "The Magic Mountain," it simply wasn't to my taste.