The Magic Mountain -- Spoilers July 2022 Long Read (previously a Buddy Read)

[ALLEN]

Luffy wrote: "ALLEN wrote: "Since it's just us, and since you probably know this already, consider the proportion of the novel taken up with the passage of only one year..."

Okay, Allen. I think this is a great..."

We need a term for "sticker shock": the phenomenon of thinking a big, comparatively difficult book can be fit into a schedule until reality hits. "Eight hundred pages? Oh, I guess." "Four weeks' schedule? Sure, why not?" Then the person picks up the book, tries a chapter or two, realizes the time commitment a full read would involve, and Eeek!

I'm not going to preach, it happened to me earlier this year with Naguib Mahfouz' CAIRO TRILOGY. Got it in one volume and Eeek!

A good way to start out on the literature of Thomas Mann is with the stories, like "Death in Venice" or "Tonio Kroeger." For lovers of big novels, Buddenbrooks (ca. 1901) is long, but interesting.

(Here I can preach a little, as I have a major and an M.A. in German Lit.)

Also, it might be worth checking out if the Goethe-Institut has resources online. Goethe-Institut concerns itself with a lot more than just Goethe's writing; it's underwritten by the German government and deals with almost the whole of German culture. Big American cities like Chicago have a Goethe-Institut office; they may be accessible online now, too -- at least, I hope so.

And Luffy, you and I can have the functional equivalent of a Buddy Read, right here; that's kind of what we're doing now. I do agree with you that a core bunch of four to six people, or more, really make a schedule read take off, below that it's a different animal entirely.

[Luffy Sempai]

ALLEN wrote: "Luffy wrote: "ALLEN wrote: "Since it's just us, and since you probably know this already, consider the proportion of the novel taken up with the passage of only one year..."

Okay, Allen. I think t..."

I hope this message of yours will add at least one reader in this endeavor. Have you tried to buy a book in German and received it in English?

[[deleted user]]

I started reading it a couple of days ago; my first time. I've read Buddenbrooks, Death in Venice, Tonio Kroger and Tristan a long time ago and really enjoyed them.

120 pages into the story, it seems clear to me that time is one of the main themes: its subjective and changing nature, the way we perceive it as we deal with change and routine.

It also seems to me that the apparently arbitrary division of the book in 7 chapters mirrors or mimics this changing, shifting perception of time: the first chapters are short (10 pages the first) and describe one single day; as the story continues, they become progressively and considerably longer (80, 120, 170 pages each) and deal with longer stretches of time.

The number 7 is recurring (7 chapters, 7 minutes with the thermometer, 7 dining tables...) and charged with symbolic meanings – the days of the week/creation...

I think the already mentioned considerable length of the sentences might also be a deliberate, conspicuous choice that impacts the speed of reading and embodies the subject.

Happy reading!

EDIT: When the name of Mme Chauchat, Clavdia, is revealed, she is seen making small breadcrumb balls at the dining table. In Witold Gombrowicz's novel Cosmos (1965), one of the main characters is often seen doing the same and suddenly exclaiming, without explanation, berg! (the German title of Mann's novel is "Der Zauberberg").

[Sam]

I will be reading but timed my reading more for August than July.

[Justin]

I’m about 200 pages in. Every time Settembrini starts talking, I start writing down quotes. Also, Hans’s flashback to his first love (or infatuation) where he seized the opportunity to ask for a pencil was quite moving.

[[deleted user]]

Chapters 1-5:
To me, the description of Castorp's medical studies and the French dialogue with Mme Chauchat seem the two most accomplished sections.

Note:
Chapters 6-7 alone constitute half of the novel.

Chapter 6*:
Favorite section: the snow storm and Castorp's dream, its visionary character framed and contrasted by the fierce [and dry] debates of the two scholars on politics and ethics. I was relieved when my impressions were confirmed: Settembrini's positions are as contradictory and untenable as Naphta's.

Chapter 7**:
Less challenging than chapter 6, more eventful and effectively momentous. Noteworthy: the use of historic present in the final pages. Favourite sections: Castorp's visit to ill mynheer Peeperkorn, and the picnic near the waterfall.

* Edit: 3 July.
** Edit: 4 July.

[Armin]

Phew, I started this book last month. I got it from my library and thought: "I will finish it in two weeks' time". But...then I extended the deadline for returning the book for one more week. And then I extended it again and in the end, I was only 67% through :/
Now I got it on my Kindle and put a hold on it since I want to read other books in the meantime. It's such a slow and difficult read. Although the book version from the library has "only" 545 pages, it took me a month to arrive at the 365th page.

[Luke]

Justin wrote: "Every time Settembrini starts talking, I start writing down quotes."

Mood.

[Bob, Short Story Classics]

I'm a couple of days short of being at the half way point. So far I don't find this read overly enjoyable, and the characters for me are not interesting. It is like reading a textbook, sometimes interesting, most of the time not. I will stick till the end and hope for better.

[Gini]

About 200 pages in now. It's a slow read but one I'm enjoying for a second time. Sort of think it's not so much about Hans Castrop as it is the whole scene. I feel like a fly on wall watching and just now being drawn into the text more as Hans gets the word he needs to join the folks at the sanatorium as more than a line judge. Also find myself being influenced, not favorably, by a book I read that followed the life of Mann by Toubin, The Magician.

[Amelia]

Gini, I absolutely agree with you about the Toibin book. I too read The Magician. Having never read a Thomas Mann book I was interested in reading The Magic Mountain and participating in this group. While reading I keep saying to myself that this is not what I was expecting. However, I think it is much better. I am about 250 pages in and so enjoy his writing, which reminds me of Proust’s In Search of Lost Time.

[Gini]

Amelia, glad that Mann has exceeded your expectations. He's one of my favorites. Proust has been calling to me for quite a while. I think I'll move him to the top of the cue now. Thanks for the encouragement.

[Amelia]

Gini, I participated in the Goodreads bookclub for that read. It was amazing. The people who participated had such wonderful insight. You can still find it on this site. You will not be disappointed.

[Gini]

Ah. Didn't know that. Off to find it. Thanks.

[[deleted user]]

Just finished Chambre d'hôtel (1940) by Colette – novella set in a French sanatorium.

Sanatoriums in contemporary narratives (article):
https://metode.org/issues/monographs/...

[Piyangie]

I'm in my last lap of reading. I can't say I enjoyed this, but some parts of it were really interesting. Some parts I found too heavy for enjoyment. I think this is the kind of book that one should read slowly and take time to reflect on, and which gets better with every reread.

[Gini]

Made a little more progress with this and I think, Piyangie, you are right about taking more time with this one. Just finished the cousins' visiting the cemetery with Karen. Lots going on there in that short episode. And probably not far from the reality of the time. Mann seems to be able to capture emotions in which the reader can witness and participate with rather well.

[[deleted user]]

Amelia wrote: "...which reminds me of Proust’s In Search of Lost Time."

Today on BBC culture:
Did Proust write the greatest novel of the 20th Century? https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/2...

[Klowey]

Fed wrote: "Amelia wrote: "...which reminds me of Proust’s In Search of Lost Time."

Today on BBC culture:
Did Proust write the greatest novel of the 20th Century? https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/2......"

" . . . the time spent reading it can never be wasted."

[Gini]

Well, Joachim has returned and is now gone. Seems like the gears have shifted with an interlude about time and then the arrival of new guest, Peeperkorn. He has impressed the entire group except Hana Castrop it seems. See where this last(?) bit goes.

[Gini]

Finished this one last nite. The last of it has a couple of unusual scenes. The version I read had a short piece from Mann about the book that helped verify and clarify some thoughts I had about it. He recommends a second reading for those that were not bored by the first. Apparently he knew some people weren't going to make that cut.

[Sam]

I am afraid I dawdled on this and will continue reading it in October. I am absolutely loving the read though. A lot better than fifty years ago when DNF'd the thing thinking it boring.

[Klowey]

Bob wrote: "I'm a couple of days short of being at the half way point. So far I don't find this read overly enjoyable, and the characters for me are not interesting. It is like reading a textbook, sometimes in..."

I an 60% too and feeling similar to you. What do you think of the debates between Settembrini and Naphta?

[Klowey]

Armin wrote: "Phew, I started this book last month. I got it from my library and thought: "I will finish it in two weeks' time". But...then I extended the deadline for returning the book for one more week. And t..."

"It's such a slow and difficult read."

Have you finished it?
Do you find it slow because you find it uninteresting?
In what way do you find it difficult?

[Kathleen]

I started late for this group read, and will probably be reading it through the end of the year. What is working best for me is reading small chunks, almost every day.

I think what is slow about it is it doesn't read like a novel. It doesn't sweep you up and carry you away. Maybe this would be different on a re-read.

And it's easy reading, but the difficulty comes from all that lies behind the words. I'm not trying too hard to understand it all, just sort of letting it sink in.

I'm about a third of the way through, and am enjoying most the discussions of time. The character of Hans is ever-so-slowly filling in and becoming less annoying and more intriguing, and I'm looking forward to watching his development.

[Luffy Sempai]

I was a regular adherer to the group reads some years ago, and I think I read both The Magic Mountain and The Woman in White together.

These two books are not really twins but I couldn't help but compare them, as I DNFed both books because I couldn't care about turning a single more page with them.

Since that experience I haven't really recovered. But I look forward to more different books that carry lesser reputation because then I will probably not expect much from them.

[Armin]

I finally brought myself to finish it, after three months of reading it. The philosophical dialogues with Settembrini were mostly interesting, but the book itself and the pace of the story is so slow and sometimes to dull, that I found myself drifting off a countless number of times.
I didn't fall in love with Thomas Mann's novels, but I appreciate his ideas and his thoughts.

[Klowey]

Armin wrote: "I finally brought myself to finish it, after three months of reading it. The philosophical dialogues with Settembrini were mostly interesting, but the book itself and the pace of the story is so sl..."

I'm 75% through and my thoughts are similar to yours. Here's what I'm liking and not liking so far:

I think Mann's writing is quite wonderful. His language and descriptions are rich and elegant, with a beautiful flow and rhythm. I enjoyed the first few chapters, and the death of Joachim really touched me.

What I don't like:
I find the narrator's "voice" rather arrogant and pompous. And the philosophical dialogues between Settembrini & Naphta seem preachy and long-winded. Most of the time it seems that Hans' main purpose in the book was to be an audience for them to debate and "show off." The topics themselves (e.g. time, death, illness, academia, culture, status, obsession, avoidance, authority, etc.) were interesting, but somehow I was bored by them in this book. Maybe the conversations went on too long and were rambling and unstructured for me. I have enjoyed other authors writing on similar themes.

But for much of this book, I keep drifting off and am finding it hard to stay focused. I know people have commented that it reads like a symphony and benefits from a reread. But at this point, I'm not connecting with it.

[[deleted user]]

Klowey wrote: "I'm 75% through..."

I remember finding the last quarter of the book enlightening on the function and meaning of all previous sections. The entrance of Peeperkorn in particular seemed to open a new stage in the development of Hans's personality and own understanding, while the novel takes up more marked traits of a bildungsroman. I see similarities in the way Hans and Babbitt (in the 1922 eponymous novel) reach a better understanding of their journey through life, and in the satirical tone of the author.

[Klowey]

Fed wrote: "Klowey wrote: "I'm 75% through..."

I remember finding the last quarter of the book enlightening on the function and meaning of all previous sections. The entrance of Peeperkorn in particular seeme..."

Interesting. I am now liking the book a bit better since Peeperkorn arrived. I'm at 80%.

I think if there were less Settembrini & Naphta debates my overall impression would be different. I do like Mann's writing style. Is this book typical? Have you read "Death in Venice" or any others?

[[deleted user]]

Klowey wrote: "I do like Mann's writing style. Is this book typical? Have you read "Death in Venice" or any others?"

I read the novellas (Death in Venice, Tristan, Tonio Kröger) and the novel Buddenbrooks a long time ago, and really liked them all. None of them – they're all earlier works – has the kind of essay-like sections you find in The Magic Mountain. I can definitely recommend Death in Venice, something you can read in a day or two.

[Klowey]

Fed wrote: "Klowey wrote: "I do like Mann's writing style. Is this book typical? Have you read "Death in Venice" or any others?"

I read the novellas (Death in Venice, Tristan, Tonio Kröger) and the novel Budd..."

I am liking the last part of The Magic Mountain more. Agree that once Pepperkorn enters it gets very interesting.

Thanks for the feedback on Mann's other work. Sounds like I would like some of those.

[[deleted user]]

Klowey wrote: "...I am liking the last part of The Magic Mountain more..."

I'm looking forward to reading your opinion/review!

[Sam]

I had postponed finishing this until November when I read Michael Kohlhaas and shorter works by Musil.