In the Alps of Bavaria there is a place of wonder and wisdom. Its remoteness welcomes those that are ill, both from treatable diseases and psychological malaises brought about from living in industrial civilization. Hans Canstorp is a member of this latter group, and he visits the mountains initially to see his cousin, but finds so much peace and comfort in their solitude that time slows down and swallows him inside their location.
The Magic Mountain is a meditation on time, elevation, genius, sociology, biology, and metaphysics at the beginning of the 20th century, just before the thunderbolt of World War 1 went crashing down across Europe. It’s the coming-of-age story about a young man caught between the ideologies of two talented debaters: Settembrini, a poster child of the Enlightenment, and Naptha, a fascist Jesuit. Like the lost corridors and unpredictable weather patterns of the chaotic mountains, their discussions dish up a storm of contradictions that rattle our minds with the ambiguity of confusion. But somewhere lingering inside the ongoing war between love and reason, a magical philosophy breaths clarity into the minds of those patient enough to persevere through the novel’s length. The mountains know this philosophy, and it is the destiny of our protagonist to find it.
Although we must go through long stretches of disinterest and inactivity, we are served several golden nuggets of literature scattered in between them. “Research” is what I believe to be one of the greatest chapters ever written- a meditation on the parallels between biology and the cosmos. “Walpurgis Night” is as seductively memorable as “The City of God” is intellectually stimulating. “Snow” is the most famous of them, an atmospheric skiing adventure that blurs the distinction between fantasy and reality. Finally, the book ends with “The Thunderbolt”, an invasion of the senses from the Underworld.
Fans of plotless literature and challenging structures should enjoy this. If you’re looking for a light read filled with bare-chested warriors, flaming dragons, and cheap romance, then stop what you’re doing and run.
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