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A review by selfmythologies
Die Vermessung der Welt by Daniel Kehlmann
4.0
Yeah, this surprised the hell out of me.
I'll be honest. This book bored me to death the first about 80 pages. I put it down for a few days, even thought I wouldn't finish it.
I guess I just couldn't see the point - it seemed tons of information dump without deeper themes or interesting characterization. And sure, there was the subtle humor that has been praised about this book, but that alone can't carry the whole thing.
So I thought. And then continued after all because I don't like dnf'ing books. And slowly started being a little interested. And then the last 100 pages were just - fantastic. I don't think I've ever done such a complete 180 on a book, and it kind of confuses me.
But this story really builds on itself and becomes more complex and intriguing and really comes together at the end with its themes. And they are actually........really really fascinating.
Okay, so I'll try to explain. I knew from the go that Kehlmann wasn't just writing an ~ode to imagination and the scientific spirit~ as you might think from the synopsis - in fact, even though the novel often seems almost like a parody, with the ridiculous dialogues where people completely talk past each other - what really characterizes it is a radical sense of realism.
'One scientist discovers something and then the next generation knows even more until it's all over', is basically what Humboldt says toward the end. The story, step by step, completely demystifies history and the heroification of historical people by depicting the real, sometimes tragic, but oftentimes ridiculous and completely random nature of human life, and the way it just goes on and doesn't really have a point or purpose and then gets replaced by the next generation which inevitably knows and dicovers more and has a wider worldview and leaves the last generation who thought THEY revolutionized the world, behind completely.
It's this last idea that really stuck with me. You might disagree with me but to me this novel is ultimately about time, its inevitable movement and the resulting struggles of aging and being replaced. Both Humboldt and Gauß are depicted at the beginning as misunderstood revolutionaries who do these great things that no one has ever done before - Humboldt with his travels, Gauß with his mathematical discoveries. No one really CARES about what they're doing in the beginning, or they only care about what seems interesting to them, not what's really important. (which is still kinda how most people see science today. when it's popularized and easy, it's cool, but no one actually cares in a deeper way). They're the typical Misunderstood Genius trope (even though they both deal with it in different ways).
And then the world catches up and they're famous, and they're at these meetings and gatherings with empty conversations and suddenly their image is more important than their actual actions. And when they try to work again, like Humboldt did at the end, they discover that they have effectively been replaced by the younger generation, and they're just there for representative functions, more as a myth than anything else. They've become old, and the world has moved on without them.
Man, that is CHILLING. That doesn't just represent scientific biographies, it can be applied to life in general. From youthful spirit, from the wish to go wider and deeper and where no one has ever been before (in reality, or with your mind)...to the realization that what you once thought was revolutionary is now something obvious, and the world just mercilessly continues on.
Of course, this topic is also interesting against the historical backdrop: coming from the period of enlightenment, where the spirit of discovery was everywhere, to the complicated political landscape that came with Napoleon, to the sort of lazy years of restauration in Germany in the early 19th century. It's all very easily built into the story and characterizes the mood in the different parts of the story. I don't think this story would've worked with these themes that I just mentioned if it took place in any different time. It fits perfectly.
So, yeah. I'm almost tempted to give it 5 stars because of this thematic point of time and the ~cycle of life~, leaving me behind with a sort of wide, melancholy feeling that I just LOVE. I truly think Kehlman (whose writing I really had my beef with in the past, but it works here really well) has created something masterful here.
But the fact stands that the beginning is boring as hell, and some of the details were just uninteresting. I get that it's part of the larger realism of the story. But man, if I'm almost tempted to put a book down toward the middle, it would've needed to be a little more exciting.
But as it is, I'm so glad I didn't. This is a strong 4 stars.
I'll be honest. This book bored me to death the first about 80 pages. I put it down for a few days, even thought I wouldn't finish it.
I guess I just couldn't see the point - it seemed tons of information dump without deeper themes or interesting characterization. And sure, there was the subtle humor that has been praised about this book, but that alone can't carry the whole thing.
So I thought. And then continued after all because I don't like dnf'ing books. And slowly started being a little interested. And then the last 100 pages were just - fantastic. I don't think I've ever done such a complete 180 on a book, and it kind of confuses me.
But this story really builds on itself and becomes more complex and intriguing and really comes together at the end with its themes. And they are actually........really really fascinating.
Okay, so I'll try to explain. I knew from the go that Kehlmann wasn't just writing an ~ode to imagination and the scientific spirit~ as you might think from the synopsis - in fact, even though the novel often seems almost like a parody, with the ridiculous dialogues where people completely talk past each other - what really characterizes it is a radical sense of realism.
'One scientist discovers something and then the next generation knows even more until it's all over', is basically what Humboldt says toward the end. The story, step by step, completely demystifies history and the heroification of historical people by depicting the real, sometimes tragic, but oftentimes ridiculous and completely random nature of human life, and the way it just goes on and doesn't really have a point or purpose and then gets replaced by the next generation which inevitably knows and dicovers more and has a wider worldview and leaves the last generation who thought THEY revolutionized the world, behind completely.
It's this last idea that really stuck with me. You might disagree with me but to me this novel is ultimately about time, its inevitable movement and the resulting struggles of aging and being replaced. Both Humboldt and Gauß are depicted at the beginning as misunderstood revolutionaries who do these great things that no one has ever done before - Humboldt with his travels, Gauß with his mathematical discoveries. No one really CARES about what they're doing in the beginning, or they only care about what seems interesting to them, not what's really important. (which is still kinda how most people see science today. when it's popularized and easy, it's cool, but no one actually cares in a deeper way). They're the typical Misunderstood Genius trope (even though they both deal with it in different ways).
And then the world catches up and they're famous, and they're at these meetings and gatherings with empty conversations and suddenly their image is more important than their actual actions. And when they try to work again, like Humboldt did at the end, they discover that they have effectively been replaced by the younger generation, and they're just there for representative functions, more as a myth than anything else. They've become old, and the world has moved on without them.
Man, that is CHILLING. That doesn't just represent scientific biographies, it can be applied to life in general. From youthful spirit, from the wish to go wider and deeper and where no one has ever been before (in reality, or with your mind)...to the realization that what you once thought was revolutionary is now something obvious, and the world just mercilessly continues on.
Of course, this topic is also interesting against the historical backdrop: coming from the period of enlightenment, where the spirit of discovery was everywhere, to the complicated political landscape that came with Napoleon, to the sort of lazy years of restauration in Germany in the early 19th century. It's all very easily built into the story and characterizes the mood in the different parts of the story. I don't think this story would've worked with these themes that I just mentioned if it took place in any different time. It fits perfectly.
So, yeah. I'm almost tempted to give it 5 stars because of this thematic point of time and the ~cycle of life~, leaving me behind with a sort of wide, melancholy feeling that I just LOVE. I truly think Kehlman (whose writing I really had my beef with in the past, but it works here really well) has created something masterful here.
But the fact stands that the beginning is boring as hell, and some of the details were just uninteresting. I get that it's part of the larger realism of the story. But man, if I'm almost tempted to put a book down toward the middle, it would've needed to be a little more exciting.
But as it is, I'm so glad I didn't. This is a strong 4 stars.