A diverse array of thought-provoking short fiction
Whether written in the Romantic style of his early career or the more modernist style of his later works, fans of Hesse’s novels will feel right at home in the introspective atmosphere of these stories. Hesse often sets his fiction in idyllic, almost monastic settings, where his protagonists are free to devote themselves to music, poetry, or nature. His interests in Jungian psychology and Eastern mysticism often express themselves in trippy dream sequences and fantastical events. Conflict, when it occurs, is less due to outside forces than to interior turmoil within the mind, or between two opposing minds. “Inside and Outside,” for example, follows the relationship between two educated friends, one devoted to science and the other to magic. The later story “Edmund” continues the theme with a professor and student who study world religions, one as an objective observer of ceremony and ritual, the other as a willing participant. In “Dream Journeys,” a frustrated writer struggles to find a medium between literature and dreams, while in “Robert Aghion,” an English missionary weighs Christian and pagan beliefs.
Hesse frequently expresses a disdain for the modern world and its arts. He harkens back fondly to the Romantic Era, the Middle Ages, and ancient times. Today’s artists and writers, in Hesse’s view, futilely struggle to achieve the heights of the “great poets” of the past. The modern world is a realm of violence, noise, and insanity that only deserves to be lamented or satirized. In “An Evening with Dr. Faust,” the title character devises a means of hearing sounds from the future, only to find that his future (our present) is chaos and madness. The 1907 story “The Wolf” is a realistic look at a wolf’s struggle for survival in a harsh world, man being its greatest adversary. Here Hesse celebrates primordial nature while expressing regret over dubious “civilization.” In his 1927 story, “Harry, the Steppenwolf,” a companion piece to Hesse’s novel Steppenwolf, a wolf held captive in a zoo becomes an anthropomorphic symbol of nonconformity and dissent. Other stories that express reservations about modernity are “The City,” a wonderful biography of a fictional city that points out the transitory insignificance of mankind, and “Walter Kömpff,” in which the title character finds his life confined by the strictures of a capitalist society.
The 23 entries in this collection cover a fascinating array of diverse subjects and styles, including realistic scenes of German life, historical fiction, mythic fairy tales, and hints of science fiction. Some stories come across as incomplete sketches, a few feel like scenes pulled out of context, and a couple might be considered failed experiments. Nevertheless, fans of Hesse’s novels will enjoy this collection. The overall effect is like paging through the sketchbook of a master artist. The well-selected contents give the reader an impressive panoramic view of the author’s wide breadth of interests and prodigious depth of talent.
Stories in this collection
If you liked this review, please follow the link below to Amazon.com and give me a “helpful” vote. Thank you.
No comments:
Post a Comment