Overturning Dr. Faustus : rereading Thomas Mann's novel in light of Observations of a non-political man / Frances Lee.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lee, Frances, 1939- author.

Series:

Studies in German literature, linguistics, and culture (Unnumbered)

Studies in German literature, linguistics, and culture

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Mann, Thomas, 1875-1955. Doktor Faustus.

Mann, Thomas.

Mann, Thomas, 1875-1955. Betrachtungen eines Unpolitischen.

Mann, Thomas, 1875-1955--Political and social views.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (309 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

Suffolk : Boydell & Brewer, 2007.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Thomas Mann's last major novel, 'Doktor Faustus,' revolves around the transformation of traditional German culture into Hitler's fascist Germany, a process that intrigues and confounds thinking people still today. Mann has always been considered an exemplary and authoritative portrayer of German culture, and his opinion on the rise of fascism carries considerable weight. Unfortunately, the novel has always been interpreted as saying the opposite of what it does in fact say. Frances Lee provides a radically new interpretation by relating in a detailed manner to the text of Doktor Faustus the arguments expressed by Mann in his 'Observations of a Non-Political Man' - a book of political essays published in 1918. This approach resolves many of the features that have been seen by critics as flaws or contradictions in the novel. Lee establishes what is actually happening in the novel in its historical setting, showing Mann's view of how the acceptance of fascism occurred and the determining role he attributed to the academic community in bringing about the disaster. Her book will be of interest to both amateur and professional students of Mann, particularly because it points to rich new directions for study. Frances Ann Ray Lee received the Ph.D. in German literature from the University of Toronto in 2005.

Contents:

1 Die Betrachtungen eines Unpolitischen 25

2 The Reception of Die Betrachtungen eines Unpolitischen 42

3 The Significance of Die Betrachtungen eines Unpolitischen for Doktor Faustus 54

Analysis of the Text

4 Going to Leipzig 67

5 Adrian's Studies in Leipzig 83

6 Adrian's Strenger Satz 90

7 Zeitblom's Propensity to Demonology 102

8 Interlude 115

9 The Outbreak of the First World War 140

10 The End of the First World War 151

11 Adrian's Apocalipsis cum figuris 171

12 Adrian's Devil 196

13 The Story of Marie 231

14 Adrian's Last Speech and Final Defeat 256

15 Doktor Faustus: A New Perspective 271.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 02 Oct 2015).

Includes bibliographical references (p. [287]-298) and index.

ISBN:

1-282-15055-3

9786612150555

1-57113-701-7