Stephen D. Dowden

This volume, edited by Stephen D. Dowden, is a collection of excellent, scholarly articles on "The Magic Mountain" and Thomas Mann's writing in general. The misleading word 'companion' in the title actually means that the novel should be read first. The reader of Mann's work should enjoy and learn from the novel first without any filter of other experiences. Then the reader can compare her thoughts with those of the authors of the articles. The reader is in the cat-bird seat agreeing with some ideas and dismissing others in the "Companion". In particular, I liked the articles by Snowden ("Mann's Ethical Style"), Goodheart ("Thomas Mann's Comic Spirit") and Engelberg ("Ambiguous Solitude"). I agreed with most of the comments in these articles and disagreed with a few points in each one. The book reinforces the reader's insight gained from "The Magic Mountain."… (more)