Thomas Mann: The Magic Mountain

Thomas Mann’s novel „Der Zauberberg“ is one of the most influential works of 20th century German literature. The story of the young Hamburgian engineer Hans Castorp, who unexpectedly spends seven years in a lung-sanatorium in Davos, high up in the Swiss Alps, presents a panoramic view of pre-war European civilisation. The novel is as well a fascinating ironic narration as a deep philosophical reflection about themes like „time“, „death“, „reason and sexual desire“, „modernity and political radicalism“. The course will be dedicated to an accurate interpretation both of the intellectual contents and the aesthetic form of Mann’s novel. (1 unit)


Required Text Mann, Der Zauberberg (Fischer)