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The thing that struck me about Magister Ludi was the absence of women characters. The Castalians are castrated metaphorically, and this leads to a book with no sexual tension whatsoever, and we are placed in a pristine society with no chaotic element. The narrative struggles for conflict, but it's essentially a travel narrative about Knecht and his experiences. Hesse's description of the importance of musical education is very German and Mann also discusses it at length. The most impressive and engaging writing were those scenes of one on one teaching at the piano when Knecht was a boy of six. In many Hesse novels there is a chapter where the character goes to some remote place and studies his artistic discipline. In this book, Knecht goes to China and studies the I-Ching with a master for a few years. For me it's the most successful of those scenes. My favorite Hesse novel is Steppenwolf. I also have had great experiences with his short stories and novellas including Journey to the East. I found it to be very impactful.

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Interesting review,

reminds me a lot of Charles Quint, who was literally the greatest emperor since the height of the Roman Empire, and who decided to step down to focus on his spiritual life...

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