The Magic Mountain
by Thomas Mann · first published 2019
54% recommend38% neutral8% critical
Why HN recommends it
Slow, contemplative novel of ideas dramatizing the intellectual clash behind the modern world, such as Settembrini's humanism against Naphta's radicalism. Rewards patient rereading; suits readers of serious fiction.
Common criticism: Some find it slow, dull, or a slog to finish
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
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…only defense is knowing how and why it arose the first time around, and why it was ultimately rejected. If you want to read a book about the struggle of Romanticism and Humanism, read Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain.[3] [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanticism [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenics [3]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Magic_Mountain
on “Urbit” ↗I'm surprised that anybody talks about Magic Mountain (Thomas Mann). It's an incredible book. It changed my life (really).
on “Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?” ↗…Milton - Paradise Lost Powerful and beautiful writing. * Fiction Rabelais - Gargantua and Pantagruel. Funny and a real feast of words (the translation is a work of art in itself) Thomas Mann - The Magic Mountain. Haunting and moving Pierre Choderlos de Laclos - Dangerous Liaisons. Scandalous, gripping. Ivan Turgenev - First Love. A masterclass in writing. Short, sensitive and exquisitely told. Marcel Proust…
on “Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?” ↗…Instead of belittling such sentiments, you might want to find out why they're so prevalent and whether they are indeed harmful. I suggest you read Dostoevsky's Notes from Underground and Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain. These books have awarded me a lot of insight on the subject.
on “TechCrunch Pump n Dump” ↗…portrait of Thomas Mann as a "great respecter of authority" who rolled over for the Nazis (a basically unfair portrait, as the comments below develop), I will submit one of my favorite sentences from The Magic Mountain: Als ob Stillgelegen nicht ein ebenso gutes Kommando wäre wie Stillgestanden! John Woods's translation: As if "At ease!" were not just as good a command as "Attention!" But Stillgelegen does…
on “Mann’s inhumanity to Mann” ↗…Favourites among the books I’ve read lately. Other than that, there are plenty to enjoy some serious fiction from authors such as: - Homer (watching Troy is way too far from the book) - Thomas Mann - The Magic Mountain is top pick among his works - Robert Musil - The Man Without Qualities I think is one of the finest pieces of literature - Albert Camus - pick any of his works, but the shortest is considered to be…
on “Ask HN: What is your favorite fiction book?” ↗…allows me to learn and self reflect, while staying afloat in the endless sea of emotional chaos. I think that technology by itself isn't the problem. I still read books like anything and I swear by The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann. Whether you use it or abuse it depends upon the type of person you are. So maybe the answer isn't as simple as solitude, but the types of solitudes we choose.
on “Tweet Less, Kiss More” ↗Thomas Mann's "The Magic Mountain" has always stuck with me. I read it during my lunch break for about 6 months. The book animates the ideas that brought about the modern world.
on “Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?” ↗Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann. The first time it was slow read, but I went back the book several times later in life and it has much to tell. The Glass Beads Game by Herman Hess. Several books by Steinbeck - Travels…
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?” ↗Lee's Lieutenants by Douglass Southall Freeman Andersonville by MacKinlay Kantor The Magic Mountain Thomas Mann
on “Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?” ↗Such introspection for me began at the end of my college days – Books and essays by Herman Hess, Camus, and Kafka. Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann was a high point. Its interesting that its these books that prepared me for the Bible, to start understanding it an entirely new way. But dont miss reading Steinbeck :-)
on “Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?” ↗…hate it. Yet I’d recommend those folks who are now adults and cite it as their most influential piece of fiction to go out and read more fiction! :). Just to be snobby I’ll throw out Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain. Beautiful and contemplative.
on “Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?” ↗Funny and all too familiar, especially during Covid. For a 700+ page take on this theme, check out The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann. If you finish it, you'll at least feel like you accomplished something worthwhile.
on “I thought I would have accomplished a lot more today and also before I was 35” ↗The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann. This book somehow stayed with me for a long time after having finished it. For me it encapsulates how we sometimes get stuck in systems which are unhealthy, but safe and feels better than…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024” ↗The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann is basically a fantastic account of this phenomenon.
on “Perceived Age” ↗