Philosophical Middle Ages in Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain

Abstract

In European culture at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the Middle Ages assumed a significant role as a genuine conceptual topos. Beyond denoting a specific historical period, the term ‘Middle Ages’ increasingly came to signify a civilisation in its own right, giving rise to a wide range of interpretations and perspectives. The extensive debate surrounding the various forms of ‘medievalism’ permeated European culture more broadly during this period and found expression not only in historical and philosophical discourse, but also in philological and scholarly research. Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain provides a notable example of how an already well-established and clearly defined interest in the ‘spirit’ of medieval culture became integral to the construction of a vast fresco depicting the crisis of civilisation confronting Europe at the beginning of the twentieth century. This essay examines the manner in which Mann developed a particular conception of medieval culture and the spirit of medieval civilisation, making it the defining feature of Leo Naphta’s worldview. In contrast to Settembrini, Naphta advances the ideal of a Middle Ages conceived as a genuine Weltanschauung, one that stands in opposition to the humanist vision and gives rise to a conflict that extends beyond the merely cultural sphere. Beneath the dialogue between the two characters and Hans Castorp’s personal quest lies Mann’s attempt to articulate a new spiritual horizon for Europe, centred upon the concept of ‘humanity’.