Dave Ross

All posts tagged with german

5 posts found

Effi Briest

Effi Briest is a novel written by Theodor Fontane and published in 1895. Set in 19th-century Germany, the story follows the life of Effi Briest, a young woman who enters into a socially advantageous but ultimately troubled marriage. Effi Briest, at the age of 17, marries Baron Geert von Innstetten, a much older and respected man who holds a high position in the Prussian government. The marriage is arranged by Effi’s parents for financial and social reasons. Initially, Effi is...

Read more →

The Magic Mountain

With The Magic Mountain , Thomas Mann external link rose to the front ranks of the great novelists. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1929. The novel’s setting is an exclusive tuberculosis sanatorium in the Swiss Alps. It is a community that serves as a fictional microcosm for Europe in the days before the First World War. Within the sanatorium, Hans encounters a diverse cast of characters, each representing different worldviews and ideologies. These include, mainly, the enigmatic...

Read more →

The Rings of Saturn

W.G. Sebald frames the narrative of The Rings of Saturn as a walking tour taken by an unnamed narrator through the county of Suffolk in England. As the narrator explores the region, he encounters many people, places, and stories. These serve as starting points for thoughts on broader themes such as history, memory, and mortality. Sebald weaves together topics and historical events, ranging from the decline of the herring industry to the hell of World War II and the Holocaust....

Read more →

Narcissus and Goldmund

Set in medieval Germany Narcissus and Goldmund by Hermann Hesse revolves around the complex and transformative friendship between two contrasting characters. Narcissus, an intellectual and monk, and Goldmund, a restless and artistic wanderer. The novel begins with Goldmund. Raised in a monastery, Goldmund yearns for a passionate existence beyond the confines of religious life. He embarks on a journey of self-discovery. He leaves the monastery to explore the world and indulges in various carnal and artistic experiences. Throughout his travels,...

Read more →

Death in Venice

Death in Venice is a novella written by Thomas Mann. Set in the early 20th century, it tells the story of Gustav von Aschenbach. Aschenbach is a renowned and disciplined writer who travels to Venice in search of inspiration and a change of scenery. However, his visit becomes an introspective journey into his desires and the exploration of beauty, decay, and mortality. Aschenbach becomes captivated by the beauty of a young Polish boy named Tadzio, who embodies the ideal of...

Read more →