You really have a gift for getting to the heart of literature, understanding the different angles and levels and presenting it in such a refreshing way. This is the first clear and succinct explanation of this novel I have heard. Thanks once again for your high quality content 👍🏼👍🏼
It's hard to fit everything in and still make videos that are not overlong or plodding. I'm glad you appreciate and enjoy my work as much as you do! Thanks for watching and commenting.
I discovered the Magic Mountain by reading Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami and the main character was reading it at a sanatorium while visiting his girlfriend. I live in Germany and ordered a 2nd hand copy in German. It's 1098 pages because of the French translations in the back and I am not sure if the English versions have French in the story. My wife is German and if I don't succeed I hope she reads it. I will find a used English copy. I have a copy of Death in Venice in German for 3 Euro used, plus a few Mann short stories. Seems I can read it. I will see how it goes. Norwegian Wood is also a great book.
Having finished the Magic Mountain this very morning after two month of reading, I was curious to see if anyone had put up a video review of it on RUclips. I am glad to have found your video, Juan. It is very well done. I am a bit exhausted from Thomas Mann's endless digressions and I deeply appreciate that you managed to keep it concise ;) It is also great that you managed to review the book without spoilers. There are unfortunately other reviews on RUclips which reveal crucial plot twists. I heard that Vladimir Nakobov had a very negative opinion of Thomas Mann, calling him "second-rate", "puffed-up" and a "big fake". But as you say so nicely in your review, "the Magic Mountain will not be the right novel for everyone." To be honest, I finished it but I am still not sure if it has been the right novel for me. The language is very beautiful and I liked the meticulous descriptions of all the characters. Many scenes such as the interactions between Hans Castrop and Madame Chauchat as well as the episode in the snow are fantastic. But I found the lengthy dialogs between the humanist Settembrini and the Jesuit Naphta exhausting and pointless. I think one could simply skip these passages without missing anything important of this book. There is only one point in your review where I couldn't disagree more (2:38): "...a great place to start if you have never read anything by him." If someone hasn't read anything from Thomas Mann before, I would not recommend the Magic Mountain as a starter. "Tonio Kröger" and "Death in Venice" are both much shorter and give new readers an idea of Mann's style. His debut novel "The Buddenbrooks" is almost as long as the Magic Mountain but I found the story better organized, more grounded and more compelling.
I've avoided "The Magic Mountain" for years, but I'm currently reading it (about 1/3 of the way through), and I can already say with great confidence that it is one of the greatest novels I've ever read in my 25 years of studying literature. Thomas Mann is a giant.
I am grateful for introducing this novel. It has made a profound impression on me. Inasmuch as I found the plot predominantly dismal, it engaged my imagination both emotionally and intellectually. I dare to say that the content was tormenting my soul, yet I kept reading.
Thanks for your comment! The Magic Mountain is not an easy novel to read. It has very little plot. I find the final sections particularly dark and difficult. But as it was apparently the case you also, I kept reading. And then, a couple of years later, I read it again and fell in love with it.
Me resulta asombroso que hayas sido capaz de analizar de una manera tan completa y efectiva los aspectos más sobresalientes de esta entrañable novela en solo 7 minutos! Admirable!
Thank you for your review of The Magic Mountain. It's a fantastic novel. As I understand it, the story is an allegory of Europe prior to The Great War. The Sanatorium's patients symbolize different social groups within Europe. They are all sick by degrees. I did not find The Magic Mountain a comic tale. It's a warning and a tragedy.
The Magic Mountain is an amazing novel. I read it more than 20 years ago and reading it helped me get an A in German literature class (this book was optional, but I read it anyway because I felt drawn to it). I forgot a lot about it, it's been a long time, so thanks for reminding me. I also found my notes recently, I had a special notebook for it. I definitely have to reread it!
@@JuanReads I'm afraid my German wasn't and still isn't that good to be able to read Mann. I only know the basics. I read it in Croatian translation. I studied Croatian literature at the time, but I took some extra German literature classes.
Many say Ulysses and In search of lost time are the greatest books ever written, I agree with that but my personal fav will always be The Magic Mountain.
Hi, you mentioned The Magic Mountain was Thomas Mann's favourite novel. I thought it was Doctor Faustus, though I can't remember where I read that. Do you have a source where Mann actually said that?
My favorite author by far, but his books are demanding. All his major works are worth the effort, but maybe not for everybody. Oh... When Thomas Mann is funny, he is funny as fuck.
One of my favorite books. Something about being able to live in relative isolation, but yet when one wants occasionally to go "among the public" appeals to me......................
That was great Juan. A couple of years ago I had a year of Mann and read the Magic Mountain at that time. Enjoyed it a lot and even while reading it was imagining the time I would read it again. I have the Wood translation.
Thanks, Penelope. I definitely recommend reading The Magic Mountain again because if you enjoyed it the first time, you will enjoy it even more on a second reading!
Just finished this . I agree I laughed a lot too. Try Betty Macdonald/ The Plague and I for another brilliant comic novel set in a sanatorium , in 1940s British Colombia . I found some of the rhetoric dragged but I guess that's the point ...time is elastic ...and I devoured all the scenes with Pepperkorn and his descriptions of the minutiae of daily life . All that food !!
I am glad you enjoyed The Magic Mountain, Hester! And thank you for recommending The Plague and I. I had heard of it but it does sound very interesting and something I might enjoy reading :)
I understand Thomas Mann attended the famous physical mediumship of Franek Kluski.. where Franek would go into a trance, and molds of spirit hands would materialize. It's one of the best evidence for Macro-PsychoKinesis (PK) and suggests either there is a spirit world around us, or that our minds can collectively create our physical world.
I still fail to see why people think this book is so great. I read comments like "one of the greatest", "best", "incredible"... but this are opinions, not facts.
I just finished this today. I found the last few pages unbelievably moving. I also found it interesting how (at least it seemed to me, on an initial reading), the seance unleashed that uneasy spirit of discord that was very much a "time-ghost," paralleling the tensions in Europe eventually leading to WW1. Something about how it was profane and evil to resurrect Joachim's "martial spirit" in such times? Is that a stupid reading?
You review really made me want to pick this one up! I have never read Thomas Mann. Would you recommend this novel for my first read of his or a different one?
If you've never read anything by Mann, I'd recommend his novella/short story Death in Venice as a starting point. If you enjoy that, you'll probably also like The Magic Mountain.
When the novel was written, Thomas Mann did not know there would be another European war in less than 20 years. Thus, The Great War was thought to be an aberration in Western culture.
I don't want to hear your political preferences, neither do I expect you to condemn other people's. Is there no retreat from this endless virtue signalling? Just review the book.
I couldn't possibly read this again unless it was part of a prison sentence and funny??? Only to some...I appreciate your comments and you make it. sound interesting but your comments fill about 100 pages and then it's just a sloggggggggggggh. Can you tell I really don't like this book?? I'm going to read Death in Venice and the Magician to give myself more perspective .,.🥹
You really have a gift for getting to the heart of literature, understanding the different angles and levels and presenting it in such a refreshing way. This is the first clear and succinct explanation of this novel I have heard. Thanks once again for your high quality content 👍🏼👍🏼
It's hard to fit everything in and still make videos that are not overlong or plodding. I'm glad you appreciate and enjoy my work as much as you do! Thanks for watching and commenting.
I discovered the Magic Mountain by reading Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami and the main character was reading it at a sanatorium while visiting his girlfriend.
I live in Germany and ordered a 2nd hand copy in German.
It's 1098 pages because of the French translations in the back and I am not sure if the English versions have French in the story.
My wife is German and if I don't succeed I hope she reads it.
I will find a used English copy.
I have a copy of Death in Venice in German for 3 Euro used, plus a few Mann short stories. Seems I can read it.
I will see how it goes.
Norwegian Wood is also a great book.
Having finished the Magic Mountain this very morning after two month of reading, I was curious to see if anyone had put up a video review of it on RUclips. I am glad to have found your video, Juan. It is very well done. I am a bit exhausted from Thomas Mann's endless digressions and I deeply appreciate that you managed to keep it concise ;) It is also great that you managed to review the book without spoilers. There are unfortunately other reviews on RUclips which reveal crucial plot twists.
I heard that Vladimir Nakobov had a very negative opinion of Thomas Mann, calling him "second-rate", "puffed-up" and a "big fake".
But as you say so nicely in your review, "the Magic Mountain will not be the right novel for everyone." To be honest, I finished it but I am still not sure if it has been the right novel for me. The language is very beautiful and I liked the meticulous descriptions of all the characters. Many scenes such as the interactions between Hans Castrop and Madame Chauchat as well as the episode in the snow are fantastic. But I found the lengthy dialogs between the humanist Settembrini and the Jesuit Naphta exhausting and pointless. I think one could simply skip these passages without missing anything important of this book.
There is only one point in your review where I couldn't disagree more (2:38): "...a great place to start if you have never read anything by him."
If someone hasn't read anything from Thomas Mann before, I would not recommend the Magic Mountain as a starter. "Tonio Kröger" and "Death in Venice" are both much shorter and give new readers an idea of Mann's style. His debut novel "The Buddenbrooks" is almost as long as the Magic Mountain but I found the story better organized, more grounded and more compelling.
I've avoided "The Magic Mountain" for years, but I'm currently reading it (about 1/3 of the way through), and I can already say with great confidence that it is one of the greatest novels I've ever read in my 25 years of studying literature. Thomas Mann is a giant.
Yes, I agree! It is so beautiful and witty. I am also listening to the Audible Hörbuch.
I am grateful for introducing this novel. It has made a profound impression on me. Inasmuch as I found the plot predominantly dismal, it engaged my imagination both emotionally and intellectually. I dare to say that the content was tormenting my soul, yet I kept reading.
Thanks for your comment! The Magic Mountain is not an easy novel to read. It has very little plot. I find the final sections particularly dark and difficult. But as it was apparently the case you also, I kept reading. And then, a couple of years later, I read it again and fell in love with it.
Me resulta asombroso que hayas sido capaz de analizar de una manera tan completa y efectiva los aspectos más sobresalientes de esta entrañable novela en solo 7 minutos! Admirable!
Muchas gracias, Carlos. Lo único que espero es que más personas se animen a leer La montaña mágica después de ver mi video.
Thank you for your review of The Magic Mountain. It's a fantastic novel. As I understand it, the story is an allegory of Europe prior to The Great War. The Sanatorium's patients symbolize different social groups within Europe. They are all sick by degrees. I did not find The Magic Mountain a comic tale. It's a warning and a tragedy.
The Magic Mountain is an amazing novel. I read it more than 20 years ago and reading it helped me get an A in German literature class (this book was optional, but I read it anyway because I felt drawn to it). I forgot a lot about it, it's been a long time, so thanks for reminding me. I also found my notes recently, I had a special notebook for it. I definitely have to reread it!
That's great! Did you read it in German or in translation?
@@JuanReads I'm afraid my German wasn't and still isn't that good to be able to read Mann. I only know the basics. I read it in Croatian translation. I studied Croatian literature at the time, but I took some extra German literature classes.
Many say Ulysses and In search of lost time are the greatest books ever written, I agree with that but my personal fav will always be The Magic Mountain.
Out of those three great novels you mention, The Magic Mountain is the one I've enjoyed reading the most.
Wow. You're good at covering everything I have on my bookshelf that I have not read just yet.
Hi, you mentioned The Magic Mountain was Thomas Mann's favourite novel. I thought it was Doctor Faustus, though I can't remember where I read that. Do you have a source where Mann actually said that?
My favorite author by far, but his books are demanding. All his major works are worth the effort, but maybe not for everybody.
Oh... When Thomas Mann is funny, he is funny as fuck.
One of my favorite books. Something about being able to live in relative isolation, but yet when one wants occasionally to go "among the public" appeals to me......................
Watched this for motivation to read it and now I’m so excited
That was great Juan. A couple of years ago I had a year of Mann and read the Magic Mountain at that time. Enjoyed it a lot and even while reading it was imagining the time I would read it again. I have the Wood translation.
Thanks, Penelope. I definitely recommend reading The Magic Mountain again because if you enjoyed it the first time, you will enjoy it even more on a second reading!
Just finished this . I agree I laughed a lot too. Try Betty Macdonald/ The Plague and I for another brilliant comic novel set in a sanatorium , in 1940s British Colombia . I found some of the rhetoric dragged but I guess that's the point ...time is elastic ...and I devoured all the scenes with Pepperkorn and his descriptions of the minutiae of daily life . All that food !!
I am glad you enjoyed The Magic Mountain, Hester! And thank you for recommending The Plague and I. I had heard of it but it does sound very interesting and something I might enjoy reading :)
I understand Thomas Mann attended the famous physical mediumship of Franek Kluski.. where Franek would go into a trance, and molds of spirit hands would materialize. It's one of the best evidence for Macro-PsychoKinesis (PK) and suggests either there is a spirit world around us, or that our minds can collectively create our physical world.
I still fail to see why people think this book is so great. I read comments like "one of the greatest", "best", "incredible"... but this are opinions, not facts.
Awesome novel on every level. It did not feel like 800 pages. Not at all.
Yes, it‘s an incredible work, my favourite chapter is ‚Schnee‘ absolutely fantastic!
I just finished this today. I found the last few pages unbelievably moving. I also found it interesting how (at least it seemed to me, on an initial reading), the seance unleashed that uneasy spirit of discord that was very much a "time-ghost," paralleling the tensions in Europe eventually leading to WW1. Something about how it was profane and evil to resurrect Joachim's "martial spirit" in such times? Is that a stupid reading?
You review really made me want to pick this one up! I have never read Thomas Mann. Would you recommend this novel for my first read of his or a different one?
If you've never read anything by Mann, I'd recommend his novella/short story Death in Venice as a starting point. If you enjoy that, you'll probably also like The Magic Mountain.
My favorite Mann story is "The Joker." It is my life (almost) written by another person. The caveat is that I didn't inherit money, yet I am wealthy.
You need the John Woods translation.
TMM has been in my TBR for ages, might give it a go!
That's great!
This book is on my list to read for a really long time! It seems to be really good
I hope you enjoy reading it!
Currently reading a translation to my native language, but I have to admit it’s a tough read. The english version is much more approachable.
When the novel was written, Thomas Mann did not know there would be another European war in less than 20 years. Thus, The Great War was thought to be an aberration in Western culture.
Lift
started reading it but Hans chats so much crap lmao
I don't want to hear your political preferences, neither do I expect you to condemn other people's. Is there no retreat from this endless virtue signalling?
Just review the book.
I couldn't possibly read this again unless it was part of a prison sentence and funny??? Only to some...I appreciate your comments and you make it. sound interesting but your comments fill about 100 pages and then it's just a sloggggggggggggh. Can you tell I really don't like this book?? I'm going to read Death in Venice and the Magician to give myself more perspective .,.🥹
I love your comment, Sandra! I hope you like Death in Venice better. At least, it is a lot shorter ;)