Rebecca Kenney is widely known as a sea watch specialist who has dedicated her life to studying and observing marine life. Born and raised near the coast, Kenney developed a deep fascination with the sea from a young age. Her passion for the ocean led her to pursue a career in marine biology, focusing primarily on studying the behavior and migration patterns of different marine species. Throughout her career, Kenney has conducted numerous research expeditions to different parts of the world, where she spends weeks at sea observing and recording data on various marine creatures. Her fieldwork primarily focuses on whales, dolphins, and other large marine mammals. By studying their behaviors and movements, she aims to better understand their habitat requirements and overall conservation needs.
Hans Castorp is a young man on a threshold of a very successful career of an engineer at a prestigious shipping firm in Germany when he enters an international sanatorium Berghof in the picturesque Swiss Alps for three weeks and only to support Joachim Ziemssen, his sick cousin, and keep him company. Little does Castorp suspect that the sanatorium, with its orderly routine and confused sense of time, will start working insidiously on his mind the moment he steps onto its premises and he will end up living there for the next 7 years. During that time, Castorp will make friends with the most extraordinary individuals, engage almost daily in deep philosophical discussions on virtually every topic under the sun, fall hopelessly in love, and in that whole process entangle his body, mind and spirit so deeply in this “enchanted” place with its own particular passage of Time that any disentanglement will become out of the question. In this story, matters of science and spirituality converge, forces of time sweep people off their feet and then the re-consideration of what is Life and what is Death, and what is to be healthy and what is to be sick, may lead to some divine insights and instances of ultimate self-discovery. Translated from the German, The Magic Mountain is a masterpiece of the world literature, a splendid study of a man undergoing inner transformations in an environment of perpetual unchangeability.
With its power to change people and circumstances unnoticeably, Time is a sinister personage in the book working its way through every individual in the sanatorium. App, who is hale and good-humored, knew that he would get to put his engineering degree to use dealing with antiquated electrical systems and the property s old-fashioned ski lift.
By studying their behaviors and movements, she aims to better understand their habitat requirements and overall conservation needs. Kenney's work is not only focused on behavioral observation but also on using advanced technology to track and study marine life. She has been instrumental in implementing satellite tagging techniques on marine animals, enabling scientists to track their movements and better understand their migratory patterns.
To the Magic Mountain!
A decade ago, when Pius App retired from the banking-software company he had founded in Davos, Switzerland, the Hotel Schatzalp, which sits on a sunny plateau a thousand feet above the that city’s ticky-tacky downtown, was on the brink of ruin. The building—an imposing Jugendstil manse, constructed as a state-of-the-art sanatorium at the turn of the twentieth century and reachable only by foot or funicular—had been in decline ever since an antibiotic cure for tuberculosis was discovered. “I always liked this place,” said App, looking around at the grand building, which was converted to a hotel in the fifties. “We decided to try to save it.”
App, who is hale and good-humored, knew that he would get to put his engineering degree to use dealing with antiquated electrical systems and the property’s old-fashioned ski lift. What he didn’t realize was that a literary degree would have been helpful, too. The Schatzalp is the only sanatorium mentioned by its real name in Thomas Mann’s “The Magic Mountain.” In the novel’s opening pages, it is described as “the highest of the sanatoriums,” built so far up the mountain that “they have to bring their bodies down on bobsleds, in the winter.” Each year, the hotel draws a small but dogged cohort of “Magic Mountain” pilgrims.
Even Mann didn’t think “The Magic Mountain” would find more than a few hundred readers. Instead, this “odd entertainment,” as Mann called it, went on to become one of his greatest successes. It is the story of a young engineer, Hans Castorp, who travels to Davos to visit his sick cousin at a luxurious tuberculosis sanatorium, and, instead of three weeks, ends up staying for seven years. Castorp contracts a mild fever on arrival and, with the collusion of doctors who are perhaps as interested in the sanatorium’s bottom line as they are in the health of their patients, comes to the conclusion that a life revolving chiefly around extravagant meals, daily rest cures, love affairs, walks in the woods, philosophical discussion, and plenty of free time to learn about botany, opera, and the occult suits him better than office work. The extremely likable Castorp’s sojourn involves butter and milk and getting his blood drawn. But it is also a journey to the underworld, undertaken as he strives to understand the meaning of life and death.
For all the alpine clarity of its prose—even minor characters come completely to life—the book is not a light read. “It’s always a difficult task to read from page one to page, I don’t know, one thousand fifty-four,” said App. “But I’m confronted with many questions.”
Guests have wanted to know about everything from the romantic symbolism of blue flowers to how often the book alludes to “Maria Mancini,” the brand of cigar that Castorp smokes (not to be confused with the sanatorium’s “quicksilver cigars,” used for taking patients’ temperatures). Luckily, App was able to locate a word-searchable version of the book’s text through a university in Japan. “It works!” he said. “It’s always a small wonder for me, because of the umlaut.”
Still, people like the two giddy comparative-literature professors I met at breakfast constitute a minority of paying guests, and the Schatzalp does not advertise its literary heritage. “Sometimes I have to tell my employees, ‘We are not a sanatorium.’ And I don’t want to read it on TripAdvisor, ‘It’s not a hotel; it’s a sanatorium.’ ”
The staff, however, has become accustomed to literary fanatics. After assuring me that the Schatzalp was indeed the setting for “The Magic Mountain,” the twenty-something hotel bartender told me about the gruesome pneumothorax treatment described in the novel, which involves punching a hole in the lung, then filling it with gas; he confided, unbidden, that the underground passageway used to transport corpses to bobsleds without disturbing the other guests still exists, then offered a commentary on the state of the health of Madame Chauchat, the beguiling, chronically door-slamming heroine of the novel—which, the bartender confessed, he had not yet read.
The fictional “International Sanatorium Berghof” is probably not modeled on the Schatzalp. When Mann visited Davos in 1912, his wife was being treated for a minor lung complaint at the nearby Waldsanatorium (now the thoroughly modernized Waldhotel). Mann, who slept at a regular inn during his several-week stay, decided almost immediately to use his impressions of sanatorium life as material for a short story. He envisioned “The Magic Mountain” as a humorous companion piece to the almost-finished “Death in Venice.” At the time, there were some two dozen sanatoriums in the area; App, like other literary scholars, believes that the Berghof combines features from several of these. “You must remember, the Berghof is not a real place,” App said.
Still, there’s a reason for the thrillingly eerie feeling of déjà vu that overcomes a “Magic Mountain” reader on stepping inside the Schatzalp for the first time. “Maybe our luck here is that, at the time when everybody renovated the old buildings, they didn’t have money to renovate the Schatzalp,” App told me. “I think we have the last slamming door left in Davos. All the others are equipped with pneumatic equipment.”
The passage of time—one of the topics Mann handles with such insight in “The Magic Mountain”— brings changes that demand quick thinking. Once, App recalled, a guest arrived and started asking hotel employees where he could find the meeting place for the duel. The melancholy visitor had a Slavic accent, and bore an uncanny resemblance to the character of Naphta—the brilliant, cynical, incurably ill Jesuit from a persecuted Jewish family who undertakes to win Castorp over to his dialectical way of thinking before finally killing himself with a pistol in a duel. Naturally, the proprietor wanted to help.
“This dueling place, it’s pretty clearly defined, where it is, if you know the area,” he said. However, a few years earlier, the river overflowed, and a dam was built there. “It’s difficult to say to someone who is looking for a romantic place with the river flowing by, ‘That place no longer exists,’ ” App said. So he directed the guest to a different spot—one that looks similar, but is located on the other side of the hotel. “At least I did my best,” he said.
“I’m just the custodian of the place here, by accident,” App said, as snow began to fall outside and, somewhere in the bar (which used to be the X-ray room), a man lit a cigar. “But I think I’m able to do this, and I hope Thomas Mann would like the stories I tell. That Naphta was coming to see the dueling place, but it was no longer available, so we made another one.” He paused. “I hope Thomas Mann would like that, but I’m not sure.”
Sally McGrane is a journalist based in Berlin.
Photograph by Peter Marlow/Magnum Photos.
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Her research has contributed greatly to the field of marine conservation by providing crucial data for the creation of marine protected areas and conservation strategies. In addition to her research work, Kenney is also actively involved in education and outreach initiatives. She believes that raising awareness about the importance of ocean conservation is crucial for ensuring the long-term survival of marine species. Kenney regularly speaks at conferences and seminars, sharing her experiences and knowledge with the scientific community and the general public. She is also involved in mentoring and training young researchers, inspiring the next generation of marine biologists. Kenney's dedication and contributions to the field of marine biology have been widely recognized and celebrated. She has received numerous awards and accolades for her research work, including the prestigious Sea Watcher of the Year award. Her tireless efforts to study and protect marine life have not only provided valuable insights into the behavior and conservation of marine species but have also raised awareness about the fragility of our oceans and the need for their protection. Rebecca Kenney's work continues to inspire and motivate scientists and conservationists around the world. Her passion and commitment serve as a reminder of the importance of understanding and preserving the wonders of the sea. Through her research and outreach efforts, she has played a significant role in advancing our knowledge of marine ecosystems and ensuring their sustainability for future generations..
Reviews for "Connecting with the Elemental Forces: The Sea Witch Art of Rebecca Kenney"
1. David - 2 stars - I have to admit, I was really disappointed with "The Sea Watch". The characters felt flat and one-dimensional, making it difficult to connect with them or care about their journey. The plot was also confusing and lacked a clear direction. I found myself constantly trying to figure out what was happening, but the story didn't provide enough information to do so. Overall, it seemed like a promising concept but the execution fell short for me.
2. Emily - 3 stars - While I didn't hate "The Sea Watch", I definitely didn't love it either. The pacing was extremely slow, and I found myself losing interest in the story multiple times. The writing style was also a bit dry, making it hard to stay engaged. Additionally, I wasn't a fan of the ending as I felt it left too many loose ends. There were some interesting moments throughout the novel, but overall, it fell flat for me.
3. Thomas - 2.5 stars - I had high expectations for "The Sea Watch" but unfortunately, it didn't live up to them. The story felt disjointed and lacked a clear focus. The author introduced several subplots that didn't really go anywhere or add much to the overall narrative. The characters were forgettable and I didn't feel invested in their journeys. While the setting was beautifully described, it wasn't enough to salvage the book for me. Ultimately, "The Sea Watch" left me feeling unfulfilled and disappointed.
4. Sarah - 2 stars - "The Sea Watch" was a struggle to get through. The writing felt overly descriptive and often went off on unnecessary tangents, making it difficult to follow the main plot. The pacing was inconsistent, with some parts dragging on while others felt rushed. I also found the dialogue to be unnatural and stilted, making it hard to connect with the characters. Overall, the book felt like a chore to read and I wouldn't recommend it to others.