This book, written in 1924, is considered by many to be one of the most important books of the 20th century. Hans Castorp leaves his "flat-land" home in Germany and travels to a tuberculosis sanatorium in the mountains of Switzerland. What began as a visit became a seven-year stay. The "veil" is drawn and he becomes a hermetic somnambulist, on the "magic mountain", losing all connection to his former life, only to "awaken" suddenly, like a modern-day Rip Van Winkle.
Mann uses the main characters to speculate about time, life, death, illness, religion, love, sexuality, morality, history, and politics, therefore, the narrative devolves into tedious monologues that are sometimes torturous to read. For instance:
"What is time? A mystery, a figment- and all-powerful. It conditions the exterior world, it is motion married to and mingled with the existence of bodies in space, and with the motion of these. Would there then be no time if there were no motion? No motion if no time? We fondly ask. Is time a function of Space? Or space of time? Or are they identical? Echo answers. Time is functional, it can be referred to as action; we say a thing's "brought about" by time. What sort of thing? Change!
Now is not then, her not there, for between them lies motion." But the motion by which one measures time is circular, is in a closed circle; and might almost equally be described as rest. as cessation of movement- for the there repeats itself constantly in the here, the past in the present. Furthermore...."
You get the picture. There is very little action. The characters eat, rest, "take stock", stroll, and philosophize...and all are described in excruciating detail. Some interesting events. Castorp gets lost in a blizzard and has an allegorical dream (the famous chapter entitled "Snow"). Castorp attends a seance. Of course, Mann takes the opportunity to "enrich" this with the a discussion on metaphysics. Near the end of the book, there is a duel, which includes an explanation the relationship between dueling and chivalry:
"The duel, my friend, is not an 'arrangement', like another. It is the ultimate, the return to a state of nature, slightly, mitigated by regulations which are chivalrous in character but extremely superficial. The essential nature of the thing remains the primitive, the physical struggle; and however civilized a man is, it is his duty to be ready for such a contingency, which many any day arise....it is the duty of a man to remain a man."
Lastly, after 729 mostly agonizing pages, the ending was a disappointment. But I will leave it to you, dear readers to make your own opinion about that.
It is interesting to note that only a year later, Ernest Hemingway published "In Our Time", followed by his novel "The Sun Also Rises" in 1927; Fitzgerald published "The Great Gatsby" in 1925. I prefer the more succinct style of Hemingway, or the lyrical style of Fitzgerald to the didactic, philosophical, wordy style of Mann.
2.5 rounded up to 3. The seance and duel were enjoyable to read. They could have been short stories on their own, and held surprises! ( )

Very much enjoyed ( )

Lido, novamente, em novembro 23 ( )

Items of note from The Magic Mountain:
* Descriptions of food and meals
* Snow
* Instructions on how to properly wrap yourself in a blanket
* People with diseased lungs smoking, indoors, in a facility for the treatment of tuberculosis
* Characters with baldly "symbolic" names
* Several "old world blowhards" each "with an axe to grind" (as per https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/126041.An_Incomplete_Education if my memory holds)
* Philosophical discussion circa 1915
Good for a long train ride (or a daily train commute).
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"The Magic Mountain" is a novel written by German author Thomas Mann, first published in 1924. The story revolves around Hans Castorp, a young and ordinary engineer who visits his tubercular cousin at a Swiss sanatorium in Davos. Initially planning to stay for only three weeks, Hans ends up staying for seven years due to his own health concerns.

Set against the backdrop of pre-World War I Europe, the novel explores complex themes such as time, illness, and the intellectual currents of the time. The sanatorium becomes a microcosm of society, and Mann uses it as a platform to delve into the philosophical and cultural debates of the period. The characters engage in discussions ranging from the nature of time to the clash between the conservative past and the progressive future.

The novel is known for its dense and intellectual narrative, with Mann incorporating elements of the Bildungsroman genre (a novel that focuses on the moral and psychological growth of the main character). "The Magic Mountain" is considered a classic of German literature and a significant work in European literature, winning Thomas Mann the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1929. ( )