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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Still reflecting on the book. Definitely seems to be deeper meaning that I am missing at the moment.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One of the greatest of all time. An incredible study of a human soul.
Needs more thought before a real review. I feel that the work serves as a puppet for Hesse's philosophy, though perhaps it's not as simple as that and I haven't fully understood it. It's very often hard to follow, and some words are used in a way in which it's hard to see whether Hesse is using it in the common usage or not. A lot of ambiguity to be sure.
Aesthetically, I thought the work was a bit of a mess. The dialogue was hardly human, the narrative structure was interesting if not conducive to understanding, and the language itself was often more concealing than revealing. Of course, I am working from some 'first principles' of aesthetic value here that Hesse probably didn't, so take this with a grain of salt.
The characters, of which I seem to have inferred are all Harry Haller, that is, products of his mind, seem to stand for something indeterminate. I grab interpretations from the air, such as the Dionysian/Apollonian divide, the bundle theory of the self and the negation of the self, but all these seem to fall though my hands when probed further. Perhaps it really is just an indictment of the tragic artist, the narcissism of the intellectual, and a call to take life as it is with less seriousness.
As I said, it needs further thought, and perhaps I'm not intellectually ready to grasp it fully - Hesse stated that an issue with the misunderstanding of the work is that it written by a fifty year old about the problems of that phase in life, but read and enjoyed by youth.
Aesthetically, I thought the work was a bit of a mess. The dialogue was hardly human, the narrative structure was interesting if not conducive to understanding, and the language itself was often more concealing than revealing. Of course, I am working from some 'first principles' of aesthetic value here that Hesse probably didn't, so take this with a grain of salt.
The characters, of which I seem to have inferred are all Harry Haller, that is, products of his mind, seem to stand for something indeterminate. I grab interpretations from the air, such as the Dionysian/Apollonian divide, the bundle theory of the self and the negation of the self, but all these seem to fall though my hands when probed further. Perhaps it really is just an indictment of the tragic artist, the narcissism of the intellectual, and a call to take life as it is with less seriousness.
As I said, it needs further thought, and perhaps I'm not intellectually ready to grasp it fully - Hesse stated that an issue with the misunderstanding of the work is that it written by a fifty year old about the problems of that phase in life, but read and enjoyed by youth.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Harry Heller is a piece of shit, Herminia rules, Goethe king 👑👑
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes