{The Magic Mountain}[10th October 1982]

[Redbook2:252-256][19821010:1330]{The Magic Mountain}[10^th October 1982]

19821010:1330

And so* to Hans Castorp's dream**: I found it last night, and re-read it this morning. I have not read the rest of the book and doubt if I shall have time to until next year. I think that Death in Venice is the only other Mann I have read.

While at home with a heavy cold this last week I have been sketching-in the basis of ['1']. By the second half of the week only the first substantial part of the book, in […]land, was unclear. Although I had some idea of what would happen there, I did not know where, since this depends on the meaning of […]land itself, and its development. Something of this became clear at the end of the week, resulting in a sketch-plan in which the starting corner on the inside was labelled: 'LOVE'; and underneath it, causing some merriment, '(Goats)'. A little to one side: '(Horses)' (but '(Archers)' would have been equally correct). Just above '(LOVE)': 'Households'. Each of these is based not so much on 'inspiration' as on the placing and interrelationship of rigid frameworks, which could of course be misconceived.

The setting is precisely a great bay of smooth waters surrounded by high hills: it is not far from the view{-point} described (from higher up) in ['0'] when [the narrator] first lands in [...]land. I had in the original draft of the mind's eye more of blue in the far and high hills (other than the [central mountain]): for what seemed sound technical reasons I substituted purple (which I have considered to be a shading-into violet (and far-red) at this stage of [...]land.

*[See entry before last]

**[In Thomas Mann's 'The Magic Mountain']

[continues]

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