Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

A study guide for Thomas Mann's "The Magic Mountain"
A study guide for Thomas Mann's "The Magic Mountain"
A study guide for Thomas Mann's "The Magic Mountain"
Ebook52 pages49 minutes

A study guide for Thomas Mann's "The Magic Mountain"

By Gale and Cengage

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

Read preview

About this ebook

A study guide for Thomas Mann's "The Magic Mountain", excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Novels for Students series. This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Novels for Students for all of your research needs.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateMay 2, 2016
ISBN9781535840972
A study guide for Thomas Mann's "The Magic Mountain"

Read more from Gale

Related to A study guide for Thomas Mann's "The Magic Mountain"

Related ebooks

Literary Criticism For You

View More

Related articles

Reviews for A study guide for Thomas Mann's "The Magic Mountain"

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5

3 ratings0 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

    Book preview

    A study guide for Thomas Mann's "The Magic Mountain" - Gale

    09

    The Magic Mountain

    Thomas Mann

    1924

    Introduction

    Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain was published in German in 1924 as Der Zauberberg. The work, Mann's third novel, traces the path of Hans Castorp, a typical, educated, well-off youth from Hamburg, Germany, who visits his sick cousin in a sanatorium high in the Swiss Alps. The hospital treats a host of international patients suffering from lung ailments, such as tuberculosis. The doctors espouse the benefits of the high altitude, as well as a health regimen consisting primarily of rest and light exercise. Hans plans a three-week visit, but does not leave the sanatorium for seven years. The characters Hans encounters embody a variety of intellectual schools of thought and social movements, and it is Hans's education through his experiences with such people that forms the basis of the novel's plot. Some of The Magic Mountain was written prior to World War I (1914-1918), while the bulk of it was completed following the war, between 1919 and 1924. While Mann's vision for the novel's scope and intent may have been altered by the effects of war, the author nonetheless writes with a decidedly prewar sensibility. Employing traditional late nineteenth-century realism and enhancing it with both irony and symbolism, Mann captures the milieu of competing philosophies and ideologies that gripped Europe both prior to and following the war. Exposed to individuals who preach the value of humanism, those who attempt to convert Hans to communism, as well as those who symbolize the temptations of both desire and death, Hans navigates the complexities and dangers of the sanatorium as he attempts to overcome his own fears. (Humanism is a cultural movement that draws on ancient Greek and Roman literary and philosophical sources and focuses on the notion that humans are all born with the potential for good and evil, and that an education in the liberal arts, such as music, art, and literature, should be available to all members of society. Humanists believe in the value and dignity of each individual member of society.) Having severed or lost all ties to his life in the lowlands, Hans is finally moved to leave the mountain only at the onset of the war.

    Der Zauberberg was first translated into English by Helen T. Lowe-Porter and published in 1927 as The Magic Mountain. A highly acclaimed modern translation, by John E. Woods, was published in 1995 by Vintage International.

    Author Biography

    Thomas Mann, born Paul Thomas Mann on June 6, 1875, was the second son of Thomas Johann Heinrich Mann and Julia da Silva-Bruhns. He was born in Lübeck, Germany. His father was a senator and a grain merchant, and provided a privileged upbringing for his children. After his father's death in 1891, Mann remained in Lübeck to complete his schooling while his mother and younger siblings moved to Munich. Upon receiving his diploma in 1894 Mann left to join his family in Munich. Exposed to his mother's artistic and intellectual circle of friends, Mann was inspired to continue the literary dabbling he had begun at school, and published a short story, Gefallen (Fallen) in the periodical Die Gesellschaft in 1894. Mann also secured a position with a fire insurance company. His employment was short-lived. As Mann's literary reputation grew, he left the insurance company to pursue his

    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1