Stanford-Professor Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht über den Roman-Klassiker «Der Mann ohne Eigenschaften»

The novel centers around Hans Castorp, who travels to a sanatorium in Davos, Switzerland, to visit his cousin Joachim Ziemßen. Initially intended as a short visit, Hans's stay extends to seven years, during which he engages in deep philosophical discussions with other patients and staff, including the Italian humanist Settembrini and the Jesuit Naphta. The narrative explores themes of time, health, death, and the clash between the ordinary and extraordinary, set against the backdrop of Europe before World War I. The novel is known for its complex characters, allegorical elements, and its reflection on the intellectual and cultural currents of the early 20th century.

Written by Thomas Mann in 1901, 'Buddenbrooks' is a panoramic novel that explores the decline of the Buddenbrook family, a prominent family of grain merchants in Lübeck. The story spans four generations, highlighting the family's struggles with adapting to modernity, the conflict between practical and artistic orientations to life, and the eventual decay of their financial and moral standing. The novel is characterized by Mann's masterful use of leitmotifs, detailed character descriptions, and a blend of objectivity and subjectivity in its narrative style. It reflects Mann's ambivalence towards the value of artistic versus bourgeois life and is heavily influenced by the philosophical ideas of Schopenhauer.

This novel, often referred to as 'In Search of Lost Time' in English, is a comprehensive work that delves into the narrator's memories and experiences from late 19th-century and early 20th-century high-society France. It is renowned for its exploration of involuntary memory, as exemplified by the famous 'episode of the madeleine'. The work is structured into seven volumes: 'Du côté de chez Swann', 'À l’ombre des jeunes filles en fleur', 'Le Côté de Guermantes', 'Sodome et Gomorrhe', 'La Prisonnière', 'Albertine disparue', and 'Le Temps retrouvé'. Proust began writing the novel in 1906 and continued until his death in 1922, with the last three volumes published posthumously.

Published in 1973, 'Gravity's Rainbow' is a sprawling narrative that delves into the secret development and deployment of the V-2 rocket by the Nazis. The story follows a diverse cast of characters, including Lieut. Tyrone Slothrop, an American working for Allied Intelligence in London, who becomes embroiled in a mysterious connection between his erections and the targeting of incoming V-2 rockets. The novel is characterized by its complex and diverse prose, incorporating elements of history, philosophy, psychology, and science fiction. It explores themes of paranoia, the impact of technology, and the blurring of lines between reality and fiction. The novel won the National Book Award for fiction in 1974 and is widely regarded as a literary masterpiece.

Der Roman 'Der Mann ohne Eigenschaften' von Robert Musil ist ein umfassendes Werk, das in der Zeit der letzten Tage der österreichisch-ungarischen Monarchie angesiedelt ist. Die Handlung dreht sich um den Protagonisten Ulrich, einen 32-jährigen Mathematiker, der auf der Suche nach einer sinnvollen und erfüllenden beruflichen und privaten Existenz ist. Ulrichs Charakteristikum ist seine 'Eigenschaftslosigkeit', die es ihm ermöglicht, sich von festen Bindungen und Überzeugungen zu lösen und die Welt um ihn herum zu analysieren und zu reflektieren. Der Roman behandelt eine Vielzahl von existenziellen Themen, einschließlich der Werte von Wahrheit und Meinung sowie der Organisation von Ideen über das Leben und die Gesellschaft. Die Handlung ist eng mit den Vorbereitungen zum 70. Thronjubiläum von Kaiser Franz Joseph verbunden und spiegelt die politischen und kulturellen Prozesse wider, die zum Ausbruch des Ersten Weltkriegs führten.

Ulysses is a groundbreaking and complex modernist novel that chronicles the experiences of three Dubliners over a single day. The novel is loosely based on Homer's epic poem 'The Odyssey', with Leopold Bloom paralleling Odysseus, Stephen Dedalus paralleling Telemachus, and Molly Bloom paralleling Penelope. It explores themes such as antisemitism, human sexuality, British rule in Ireland, Catholicism, and Irish nationalism. The novel is known for its innovative use of language and narrative techniques, including stream-of-consciousness and multiple literary styles. It captures the essence of early 20th-century Dublin, providing a detailed snapshot of the city's social, political, and cultural landscape.

The novel tells the story of Effi Briest, a seventeen-year-old girl who marries Baron Geert von Innstetten, a man twenty-one years her senior. The marriage is marked by Effi's loneliness and isolation in the small town of Kessin, where she begins an affair with Major Crampas, a rival of her husband. When the affair is discovered, Effi is divorced, loses custody of her daughter, and is shunned by society. The novel explores themes of societal constraints, personal freedom, and the tragic consequences of Effi's actions, drawing parallels with other 19th-century works like 'Anna Karenina' and 'Madame Bovary'.

Written by Thomas Mann in 1901, 'Buddenbrooks' is a panoramic novel that explores the decline of the Buddenbrook family, a prominent family of grain merchants in Lübeck. The story spans four generations, highlighting the family's struggles with adapting to modernity, the conflict between practical and artistic orientations to life, and the eventual decay of their financial and moral standing. The novel is characterized by Mann's masterful use of leitmotifs, detailed character descriptions, and a blend of objectivity and subjectivity in its narrative style. It reflects Mann's ambivalence towards the value of artistic versus bourgeois life and is heavily influenced by the philosophical ideas of Schopenhauer.