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The Magic Mountain

Thomas Mann,

John E. Woods (Translator)

Start date: July 1, 2022

Finish date: September 30, 2022

Discussion: Old School Classics, Pre-1915

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Jan 25, 2013 Everyman rated it really liked it

I have never had as much trouble reviewing a book as I have had with The Magic Mountain.

There is no question that it is generally recognized to be a monumental work of literature. And it certainly has a wealth of philosophical views, social commentary, medical analysis, and numerous other aspects which make it richly complex. But.

Many -- perhaps most -- critics analyze it as an analysis of the state of pre-WWI Europe. Frankly, although I looked for this, I didn't see it. Mann does, indeed, bring I have never had as much trouble reviewing a book as I have had with The Magic Mountain.

There is no question that it is generally recognized to be a monumental work of literature. And it certainly has a wealth of philosophical views, social commentary, medical analysis, and numerous other aspects which make it richly complex. But.

Many -- perhaps most -- critics analyze it as an analysis of the state of pre-WWI Europe. Frankly, although I looked for this, I didn't see it. Mann does, indeed, bring in patients of many different nationalities, but it wasn't clear to me that they really represented national views or, if they did, what those views actually were. I was surprised by how little discussion of current or world events there was for a book supposedly centered around a commentary on the state of Europe.

Looked at in terms of plot, amazingly little actually happens for a 700+ page novel. This rest of this paragraph will contain slight spoilers, so if you want to read the novel and be surprised by what happens, skip to the next paragraph. Basically, Hans Castorp goes to a sanatorium to visit his sick cousin, he is diagnosed as having some sickness himself (whether he is ever really ill seems to me to be an unresolved question), he spends an inordinate amount of time eating, resting, taking walks, and talking, mostly with two philosophers, he spends seven years at the sanatorium going through a variety of activities to pass his time, people come and go and some die, and at the end -- well, that would be a real spoiler, so I won't reveal it. But suffice it to say that purely in terms of action, it could be boiled down to about 20 pages and leave nothing of significance out.

There are several themes that run through the novel, a primary one being repeated references to time, how it does or doesn't pass, how it is perceived by various people at various times, how it impacts humans, and other aspects of time, both short term (hours and days) and longer term (months and years).

It has been described by some as a bildungsroman, but I don't necessarily agree with that since Hans Castorp -- he is always referred to by his full name, for reasons that never became clear to me -- doesn't seem to develop to the extent that a bildungsroman, in my view of the genre, requires.

I could have given it anywhere from two to five stars, depending on what aspects of it I wanted to emphasize. I decided on four as a compromise, but I should make clear that I don't recommend it on that basis with the same fervency that I would normally recommend a four star novel. It will appeal to people who like slow, intricate, philosophical novels that compel thought and reward patience. It will most definitely not appeal to a reader who likes to see things happen, likes to his characters to go interesting places and do interesting things.

If you try it, and you should at least consider trying it, don't do so because I gave it four stars. Do it because you are up for a challenge and, like me, wanted to see why it has been called by numerous critics a monumental book of great importance.

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33 likes · Like · see review

Feb 13, 2008 Laura rated it it was amazing

Shelves: german-literature, fiction-20th-century, classics, nobel-prize, 1001-books-you-must-read-before-you

The Magic Mountain (German: Der Zauberberg) is a novel by Thomas Mann, first published in German in November 1924. It is widely considered to be one of the most influential works of 20th century German literature.

Mann started writing what was to become The Magic Mountain in 1912. It began as a much shorter narrative which revisited in a comic manner aspects of Death in Venice, a novella that he was preparing for publication. The newer work reflected his experiences and impressions during a perio ...more

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Jun 19, 2021 Julie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fin-2021, 1920s-fiction, ben-bc

This was a tough but illuminating and satisfying read. It took forever to read. I could only read 10-20 pages max at a time before my brain was completely overloaded. The Magic Mountain is a dense, philosophical novel that is meant to be read slowly and carefully so you can soak what the author is saying. The reader is not galloping along, chasing the plot, because there really isn't a plot. This is a novel about ideas and not a traditional story. I had my phone handy at all times, so I could lo ...more

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Sep 30, 2015 Rachel rated it it was ok

Shelves: classics, fiction, philosophy, 1001-books-to-read-before-you-die, hardbooks

Well this book quite derailed all my reading plans over the past couple of months. Thank god it's over! I'm glad to have read it, but I did not enjoy the journey! ...more

3 likes · Like · see review