Künstler dieser Zeit: Klaus Mann’s Novels of the 1930s by Clare Anita Marie Therese Wilson Choubey Submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in German Department of German UCL September 2010 1 Declaration of Authorship I, Clare Choubey, confirm that the work presented in this thesis is my own. Where information has been derived from other sources, I confirm that this has been indicated in the thesis. Signed: …………………………………………………………………………… Date: …………………………………………………………………………… 2 Abstract The 1930s represent the peak of Klaus Mann’s novel-writing with respect to output and quality. While the predominant proportion of critical work on Mann’s oeuvre has concentrated on those aspects which can be clearly associated with Mann’s life (his homosexuality, his family background, and his self- destructiveness), I feel that Mann’s writing was at least as influenced by the times in which he wrote. Therefore I concentrate on Mann’s work as a reflection of the times in which he was living, with minimal reference to his biography; and I focus on four novels which are all from and about the 1930s. What is particularly impressive about Mann’s fiction is his ability to articulate the acute sense of the political and social crisis facing Western civilisation in that era. Together these four novels vividly depict the political and social instability that led to the rise of Fascism, show the effect of exile, and warn of the destructive nature of the Third Reich. These novels can be divided into two categories: the novel of individual choice (Individualroman): Flucht in den Norden, Mephisto, and the panoramic novel of social life (Roman des Nebeneinanders): Treffpunkt im Unendlichen, Der Vulkan. I have identified three key themes occurring in his fiction: Love and Desire, the Mind and the World, and Community, which I discuss in each novel individually, as well as evaluating Mann’s narrative technique. Mann’s writing is very character-driven, he strives to make his characters as vivid and affecting as possible, to create an emotional connection with his readers, and facilitate a dialogue between author and reader. Mann is not the greatest German author of the twentieth century, however his work has both 3 literary merit, and gives us an invaluable insight into the mindset of his generation. 4 Table of Contents Declaration of Authorship....................................................................................2 Abstract ...............................................................................................................3 Table of Contents.................................................................................................5 Acknowledgments ...............................................................................................7 I Introduction.......................................................................................................8 II Treffpunkt im Unendlichen (1932) ................................................................. 17 Introduction ................................................................................................... 17 1 The Characters and their Relationships........................................................ 19 2 The Mind and the World ............................................................................. 43 3 Community ................................................................................................. 68 4 Language and Narrativity:........................................................................... 73 4.1 Structure............................................................................................... 73 4.2 Style..................................................................................................... 73 4.3 Language.............................................................................................. 81 5 Conclusion.................................................................................................. 92 III Flucht in den Norden (1934) ......................................................................... 94 Introduction ................................................................................................... 94 1 The Characters and their Relationships........................................................ 96 2 The Mind and the World ........................................................................... 106 3 Community ............................................................................................... 125 4 Language and Narrativity.......................................................................... 130 4.1 Structure............................................................................................. 130 4.2 Style................................................................................................... 131 4.3 Language............................................................................................ 133 5 Conclusion................................................................................................ 143 IV Mephisto (1936) ......................................................................................... 144 Introduction ................................................................................................. 144 1 The Characters and their Relationships...................................................... 146 2 The Mind and the World ........................................................................... 166 3 Community ............................................................................................... 182 4 Language and Narrativity.......................................................................... 185 4.1 Structure................................................................................................. 185 4.2 Style....................................................................................................... 186 4.3 Language ............................................................................................... 190 5 Conclusion................................................................................................ 211 V Der Vulkan (1939) ....................................................................................... 213 Introduction ................................................................................................. 213 1 The Characters and their Relationships...................................................... 215 2 The Mind and the World ........................................................................... 227 3 Community ............................................................................................... 256 4 Language and Narrativity.......................................................................... 264 4.1 Structure............................................................................................. 264 4.2 Style................................................................................................... 268 4.3 Language............................................................................................ 276 5 Conclusion................................................................................................ 289 VI Conclusion.................................................................................................. 290 Bibliography.................................................................................................... 300 Primary Literature........................................................................................ 300 Fiction...................................................................................................... 300 5 Autobiography ......................................................................................... 300 Non-Fiction.............................................................................................. 300 Publications with Erika Mann................................................................... 301 Secondary Literature on Klaus Mann ........................................................... 301 Other Secondary Literature .......................................................................... 305 6 Acknowledgments I would like to express my gratitude to my supervisor, Professor Martin Swales, who has been a constant source of inspiration and support. Thank you also to my mother, Jean, and partner, Tim, for keeping me sane and turning a blind eye to the chaos that has been reigning in my house. Lastly, I would like to thank my loyal companion, Badger, who sadly did not make it to the end of the project, but was always ready with an encouraging purr when needed. 7 I Introduction During his twenty-five year career,1 Klaus Mann’s literary output was both prolific and varied. In the first volume of the Klaus Mann Schriftenreihe, Fredric Kroll lists over one thousand separate pieces of work, ranging from essays and articles, to novels, short stories and plays. Mann was even involved in writing the screenplay to the 1946 film Paisà. Aside from his published work, Mann was a great letter-writer and diarist. Despite the setback of being denied access to German readers during the 1930s and 1940s, Mann continued to write, adopting the language of his new home in order to carry on his political and literary work. Klaus Mann is a significant writer for two reasons: in terms of subject matter, he was ground-breaking, Der Fromme Tanz features an early portrayal of homosexual characters, while Flucht