Ironically, he was exiled from Germany and his book burned. Mann reconciled with Western ideas after WWI, believing that after pain and suffering a new wiser, more humane society will emerge. One by one the characters die, paralleling the fall of the different European countries. Mann's characters are doomed, like the people in Europe of 1914. The incoherent character of Peeperkorn represents the anti-intellectual, the embodiment of reality, not theory. The second half of Mann's novel more directly concerns the approach of war. The mystery of time is a chief theme in 'The Magic Mountain.' Peeperkorn in 'The Magic Mountain' (05:04) Believing humans dream anonymously and commonly, he realizes that he dreamed of man's heightened state. Setting out into the snow, Hans falls asleep and dreams of the Mediterranean. Mann fuses these two Greek archetypes, Apollonian and Dionysian, in the chapter 'Snow.' Hans' Dream in 'Snow' (03:33) Naphta and Settembrini's arguments symbolize the rational and fatalist views. Wagner and Nietzsche's Influences (02:05) This conflict parallels that of the European soul. The opposition between Naphta and Settembrini reflects Mann's relationship with his brother, Heinrich. Professor Naphta, a cynical, Machiavellian character, is a fatalist and realist.

Hans represents the innocent, serious German from the lowlands who is anxious to learn about life. Serious Tone of 'The Magic Mountain' (02:51) After her departure the book's tone becomes more serious. Hans and Madame Chauchat (05:22)Ī comic scene between Hans and Madame Chauchat shows this erotic lady teasing Hans into becoming a part of her ridicule. 'The Magic Mountain' is a novel of initiation into understanding of life which is not a process that progresses smoothly. This novel surpasses realism with its symbolism. The atmosphere 'heightens' Hans, making him capable of adventures beyond his spiritual, moral and sensual world. Some feel it is a lampoon on the medical profession, but Mann's sanitarium is a metaphor for the wider world. Mann conceives 'The Magic Mountain' as a humorist satire. Viewing his hand and chest through x-rays, Mann comes to the realization of his mortality, just like Hans, the protagonist of 'The Magic Mountain.' Humorist Satire (04:18) In the calm of pre-war years, Mann begins 'The Magic Mountain.' The chapter 'Arrival' depicts his impression of the Swiss sanitarium where his wife stayed for six months. Opposing 20th Century capitalism, Mann aligns himself with Goethe, Nietzsche and Wagner. 'Buddenbrooks,' Mann's first novel, is a traditional German novel. Mann's monument to an epoch of German and European history investigates themes that obsessed his life such as death and the split in German culture. Re-creation of Thomas Mann at Princeton University in 1939, lecturing about his novel, 'The Magic Mountain.' Themes in 'The Magic Mountain' (01:41) Dramatization of 'The Magic Mountain' (02:38) FREE PREVIEW

The magic mountain novel