449. Doctor Faustus

Doctor Faustus
Thomas Mann
1947
Around 535 pages

This is our last Thomas Mann, at least in this lifetime. And by that I mean they snuck him in even more entries on future editions of the List. So for now, this is Mann's parting shot to us.  Thanks for being as boring as possible on your way out, you big creep.

Adrian Leverkuhn is our protagonist, a character so hellbent on becoming a renowned musical genius that he contracts syphilis on purpose and bargains his soul in exchange for artistic inspiration. He's insufferable, Mann is insufferable, and my favorite character was the Mephistophelean demon. 

This novel has many layers, and on its most basic level is relatable as a concept. What author hasn't thought about gambling with their soul after a particularly bad bout of writer's block? In a broader historical context, Adrian is a perfect metaphor for Germany at the time. Obsessive and reverential over the past, with a ruthless ambition that is ultimately most destructive to itself.

But I'm not a classical music person, so nearly every allusion was lost on me. I think Mann is more invested in impressing his readers with his intellect than moving along the story. And he's really standing on the shoulders of giants with this one, as he has the bare bones of his story from the Faust legend already prepared. 

Auf wiedersehen, weirdo.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Mann read chapters to friends to test the effect of the text. 

UP NEXT: Disobedience by Alberto Moravia

296. The Magic Mountain

The Magic Mountain
Thomas Mann
1927
Around 720 pages

It's been quite awhile since my last post. Blame the Pittsburgh Public Library system, which was slow in supplying my greedy hands with this enormous tome. I was able to significantly expedite the system by ordering from our Overlord Masters (Amazon.com). Suddenly, the library couldn't wait to hand over their copy. Suspicious, to say the least.

In the decade before World War I, Hans Costorp decides to visit his cousin, who is staying in a sanatorium in the Swiss Alps. Most of the patients have been diagnosed with tuberculosis. In the early 1900s, the only treatment just seems to be lying down outside and taking your temperature enough to add mercury poisoning to your list of ailments. Hans finds it easy to slip into this strange world, which seems to exist outside of space and time.

I fully expected to have to slog my way through this one. I have never clicked with Thomas Mann before, as he is a little too Humbert Humbert-y in his writing. But I actually really enjoyed this. True, the action is very slow. But it's consciously done. Our protagonist is marveling at how little story time has actually passed even though we are already 200 pages in. I loved the chapters that delved into the perennial and fugacious nature of time, particularly in an isolated setting.

And then there's the brilliance of having each character being deeply symbolic of the archetypes of the time. Hans Corp is the waffling and somewhat naive member of the bourgeoisie without truly feeling at home with that world. He's complemented by his cousin Joachim, who has a much more dutiful nature and is determined to become well enough to enlist. There are plenty of other memorable characters as well, with the elderly patient Settembrini providing the best humanistic commentary. He's often at odds with his intellectual nemesis, Naptha, a Jesuit revolutionary.

It's an exhausting work, but it's richly rewarding to unpack all the allegorical significance of each piece of the story.  A must read if you are interested in this period of European history.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Was inspired by his experience visiting his wife at a sanatorium in Switzerland for several months.

The progress on the novel was interrupted by World War I. After the War, Mann revamped the earlier work to include post-War ideas and more political commentary.

UP NEXT: The Green Hat by Michael Arlen. Never heard of it!

252. Death in Venice

Death in Venice
Thomas Mann
1912
Around 150 pages

I am amazed that somebody as longwinded as Mann could manage to write a novella, but I get the feeling Thomas Mann was less interested in creating a great work here and more interested in producing an outlet for his...urges.

Gustav von Aschenbach feels compelled to visit Venice, where, unbeknownst to him, a serious cholera epidemic is taking place. So if anybody is looking for a 1001 read related to outbreaks, add this to your 2020 nightmare shelf, along with The Plague and Love in the Time of Cholera. Anyway, Gustav sees a 14 year old Polish boy in a sailor suit and falls in love with him. It's like Lolita, but with a boy. Of course, this was written before Lolita so I guess Mann beat Nabokov to the pederasty punch.

I really don't know what to say about this one; critics really seem to go gaga over it. I won't necessarily hate a novel just because the main character is loathsome or pathetic or whatever the hell Gustav was. For example, I actually liked Lolita, which is not an opinion I tout about much. But I get the sense that Mann was just as damaged as this character was, so there was something intrusive about the experience of reading this. It felt like he was trying to suppress his desires, and when that didn't work, tried to intellectualize those urges to lend them some sort of godly significance. Like he was saying, "I'm not being a predator, I'm paying homage to the Greeks." Gee, I wonder how many times police have heard that excuse before. 

Of course, the writing is good, but there is a lot of good writing in the world. I wouldn't recommend spending time on this.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

Thomas Mann's wife said that the idea for the story came when they were visiting Venice. Thomas became enthralled with a 14-year-old, Polish boy who was traveling with his family. Um.

Mann confessed to being attracted to his young sons in his diaries. Double um.

UP NEXT: Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence. I am really excited to read this one. I have been meaning to read more Lawrence for awhile now. 

220. The Buddenbrooks

The Buddenbrooks
Thomas Mann
1901
Around 750 pages

Well, I have officially finished reading all of the library books I hoarded in the Before Times, and am now on a strict ebook diet, which is not at all suitable to my constitution. I think this will prompt me to do some rereads soon, but in the meantime, let's talk about The Buddenbrooks.

The Buddenbrooks: The Decline of a Family is about the Buddenbrooks...in decline. We follow several members of this unfortunate family, including Antonia ("Tony") who is chronically misguided in love, and Christian, the black sheep of the clan.

I typically enjoy sagas that follow the fortunes of one family. We actually have another good one coming up in the not so distant future, The Forsyte Saga. Of course, the key to building these kind of exhaustive narratives is to have dynamic enough characters that readers are willing to wait as things slowly unfold. Luckily, Mann paints a lively portrait of a family doomed to fail because of their own pride and avarice. 750 pages still felt on the excessive side, but I was engaged for the entire length of the novel.

I had some previous experience with Thomas Mann prior to The Buddenbrooks that made me dread seeing his name appear on the List. I am happy to report, however, that this was fairly enjoyable, and he won't make me hate him until Doctor Faustus.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

Published when Mann was 26 years old.

Mann received a Nobel Prize in Literature in 1929, largely because of this novel.

UP NEXT: The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Quarantine means a lot of reading time, so expect to see me back soon! In the meantime, what are your quarantine reads? Are you reading more or less when you are socially distancing?