Customer Reviews

CliffsNotes on Mann's The Magic Mountain

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I am not a huge fan of Cliffs Notes, as I feel they often explain the obvious and are unable to explain the richer and more allusive aspects of the books they deal with. These notes for Mann's The Magic Mountain are quite good, but not excellent. They do a very good job of explaining the basic story, following Hans Castrop's twists and turns as he spends 7 years in the sanatorium high in the Alps. The author is also able to explain, to some extent, the symbolic implications of the other characters in the story and some of the key scenes. The interpretation certainly pointed out things to me I had not noticed before; and in that sense, it was helpful. However, I felt that the author just brushed the surface of an understanding of any depth; the parts that were insightful were good, but left me wanting more. However, since there are not too many books about The Magic Mountain in print today, you might want to get a copy of these Cliff Notes; they will not answer all your questions about this novel, but they will set you on track to correctly understand it.