Books: How Did Thomas Mann`s "Der Zauberberg/The Magic Mountain " Age Over The Years?

(Drivebycuriosity) -  Thomas Mann received in 1929 the Nobel Prize in Literature, partly for his novel "Der Zauberberg/Magic Mountain" (first published 1924 amazon). How did this work fare today?

Rereading the book (1142 pages! ) gives me mixed feelings. The novel is set in the pre-WW1 era in a  tuberculosis sanatorium high in the Swiss Alps. The protagonist, a 20 something student of engineering, is visiting a relative. The plot follows him and other patients over some years, often macabre and morbid, sometimes humorous and turning into a kind of absurd theater. Mann´s descriptions of the patients, their behavior and their fashions, are sometimes funny (Ihr Hirn gab nichts weiter her/her brain delivers nothing more"). But the stuttering love story, that stretches through the novel, turns into a soap opera.

I indulged into Mann´s language, his of sentences, often complicated and elaborated, are of a rare beauty. His descriptions of the Alpine landscape, weather situations and other topics are awesome. But the dialogues did not age well, they are often very long and tiresome; satisfied with 19th century philosophy and zeitgeist. There are lengthy parts in French; maybe Mann wanted to give a political statement and signal his sympathy for Germany´s Western neighbor.

 

                          Heavy Smokers 

Some ideas seemed very strange too me, for instance the protagonist, many other patients - and even the lung specialist doctors - are heavy smokers. And the patients, who were obliged, to spend most of the day recumbend, are getting very generously fed 5-times a day: 2 breakfasts, lunch, afternoon tee and dinner. And the meals are usually rich, offering lots of fish, mead, potatoes, cakes, marmalade and much more: "Die nahrhafte Suppe eingerechnet, bestand es aus nicht weniger als sechs Gängen. Dem Fisch folgte ein gediegenes Fleischgericht mit Beilagen, hierauf eine besondere Gemüseplatte, gebratenes Geflügel dann, eine Mehlspeise, die jener von gestern abend an Schmackhaftigkeit nicht nachstand, und endlich Käse und Obst. Jede Schüssel ward zweimal gereicht - und nicht vergebens. Man füllte die Teller und aß an den sieben Tischen, - ein Löwenappetit herrschte im Gewölbe, ein Heißhunger, dem zuzusehen wohl ein Vergnügen gewesen wäre, wenn er nicht gleichzeitig auf irgendeine Weise unheimlich, ja abscheulich gewirkt hätte". 

I assume that Mann`s diet would have led to diabetes, cardiac attacks and worse in a very short time.

"Der Zauberberg" may mirror the zeitgeist of the first decade of the 20th century, today is reads rather strangely.