Steppenwolf: A Novel by Hermann Hesse Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Steppenwolf: A Novel
Book Review: Manifesto for our time
Summary: 5 Stars
The Steppenwolf, the wolf from the steppe, is the misanthropic Harry Haller, and this is written as his diary, or confessions. Haller has reached middle age, and neither a conventional lifestyle nor pure intellectual pursuits can sustain him anymore. But just as he is about to kill himself, earthly pleasures beckon as our protagonist meets the dancer Hermine and her shadowy partner in pleasure Pablo. Haller is sucked into a phantasmagorical chase, a final gamble for reconciliation of the man and beast within him, of the multi-faceted self that is cast back at him as from a broken mirror.
Part psychology and part allegory, the Steppenwolf is the story of Haller's redemption by Hermine and at the same time a denial of simple formulas. It rejects no path and despises no one for the choices they make. In this sense it is thoroughly modern, as it is in its Epicureanism. And if, in its allegorical style, it is thoroughly out of fashion (realism, veracity, research are in, philosophising is out), such is Herman Hesse's writing that at no point does the book seem belaboured. Hesse commented that of all his novels, this is the one that has been the most misunderstood. Of course, in our relativistic age, all interpretations are equally valid. But the author also warned that: `in most cases the author is not the right authority to decide on where the reader ceases to understand and the misunderstanding begins.' Steppenwolf is a work to reflect on. It is also funny, though only in the way that Kafka can be funny: sarcastic, dark, and at the same time poignant. Indeed, it shares something of the timelessness of Kafka, the mix of seriousness and levity, of realism and parable. Steppenwolf was a prescient work. It is both challenging and easy to read: just what our time needs.
Book Review: Many Lives
Summary: 5 Stars
This is truly a book for lost souls. How many of us have striven to find unity in ourselves only to be disappointed time and time again. Through the lens of eastern mysticism that Hesse exalted in, Harry Haller discovers that he is indeed a multitude and that the sorrows of life are to be fought with laughter. A joy.Book Review: Mix of Darkness and Mysticism
Summary: 3 Stars
In this unusual novel by Herman Hesse, Harry Haller is the Steppewolf, lonely, isolated, and struggling with conflicting desires of arrogance, emptiness, and longing. Things change dramatically when he meets a woman quite different from him. All seems to lead to the magic theatre, which made for interesting if confusing reading. Hesse blends eastern mysticism with western culture and a somewhat anti-bourgeois message, and many persons battling depression have apparently found it easy to identify with the main character. We read this book in a college literature class and it left us (and even the teacher) confused, although many say's the story is more comprehensible once you've read other Hesse novels. If you like dark stories with conflicting emotions and mysticism, this book may be for you.Book Review: My Review on Steppenwolf
Summary: 3 Stars
This novel was very well written, but I think it was too complicated for me. I consider myself a pretty good reader, but I was blown away by his far superior and obviously honed vocabulary skills but writing skills also. There was a lot of run-on sentences and it was hard to understand most of the time. This book is not for people who love lots of action, but someone who likes to analyze every bit and piece. That is why this book would be perfect for school reading material or an advanced reader unlike myself. I would never read this book for the shear fun of it and I don't think I will ever read it again. Don't get me wrong by thinking that I didn't enjoy this book because I enjoyed it! If it was more understandable for me, I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more.Book Review: Not a classic, but really has its impact
Summary: 4 Stars
There were many flaws with this book. The pace was meandering, going nowhere for long periods of time and some of the dialogue is trite
The main characters were shallow, but I'm assuming they archetypal, based on Carl Jung's phychology, so they were probably that way on purpose. One really does not know which character was real and which was a figment of Harry's bruised psyche. Hermine, Harry's opposite, forces Harry to forgo his prejudices against dancing, Jazz, and a more carefree way of life. This leads to finding at least some happiness, even if it never can completely make his loneliness fade away. Also on the path is a serene Goethe as well as Mozart, and culminates in the Magic Theatre, where Harry finally faces his inner conflicts.
There were many good thoughts in this book, as it shows that every human being consists of conflicting wants and feelings, all of which are clashing and causing stress on the person as a whole. The key to living a good life if for these desparate selves to live in harmony. Therefore the wolf has to live with the man and the man with the wolf. It also shows how inner conflict leads to us reinventing ourselves, dying several times in a life so to speak.
What was annoying is the main characters incessant complaints about bourgeoisie values. his hatred of Jazz as anti-intellectual(history has vindicated Jazz), and drug abuse. It was rather odd how he was exclaiming living a more full life by snorting cocaine at one point and sleeping with a prostitute, and I hardly see how this helps one rebuild himself.
Still, I go back to this book more than most, even several years after I read it, so obviously it had its moments that stuck to me. Recommended if you're up for a surreal and angst filled ride.