"Knecht was one of those fortunates who seem born for Castalia, for the Order, and for service to the Board of Educators".
Quite the Orwellian opening....
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"The Glass Bead Game", Chapter 1, The Call
- hesse
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Re: "The Glass Bead Game", Chapter 1, The Call
This quote of the Music Master's from the 1st Chapter really struck a 'chord' with me...
"Making music together is the best way for two people to become friends. There is none easier. That is a fine thing......"
"Making music together is the best way for two people to become friends. There is none easier. That is a fine thing......"
I can think, I can wait, I can fast........
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Re: "The Glass Bead Game", Chapter 1, The Call
And then....Robert Tulip wrote:.... some of the greatest games explore antinomies such as the relation between justice and freedom. This invites the image of the game as a sort of debate. One of the big debates in the book is between Knecht and Plinio Designori, his foil in the outside world. Their debate is not formally a game, but it really has the same purpose, in this case exploring the antinomy between the world and the separated and insulated life of Castalia, home of the game.
I am beginning to read this chapter, and it does seem that Knecht was "born" for Castalia: His parentage is unknown so he already seems isolated, and he is absorbed by his environment. Interesting, isn't it, that the Master who visited him engaged him in a fugue, which is a sort of point-counterpoint musical experience. He demonstrated that he was up to the task.hesse wrote:"Knecht was one of those fortunates who seem born for Castalia, for the Order, and for service to the Board of Educators".
Quite the Orwellian opening....
Robert mentions antinomies, something that can irritate, frustrate, or delight me, depending upon my mood. Yet my own experience has been of finding freedom in surrender, of empowerment through acknowledging my powerlessness. Hesse (forum member, not the author) mentions that the opening is Orwellian, and isn't it interesting that Big Brother manipulated the populace with dichotomous ideas? Yet there is tremendous energy in this friction. I recall a conversation I had with an engineer: I remarked that during my life I found that the significant changes in my life were characterized by swinging from one extreme to the other before finally settling somewhere near center. The engineer remarked that a pendulum has the most energy as it swings near the center. I am rambling, I suppose, but I tend to think in print. I never really know what I am about to write, but I seem to strike some kind of creative stream. Please bear with me.
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Re: "The Glass Bead Game", Chapter 1, The Call
I agree: I find I am at my best when I am centered.hesse wrote:Center is good, Murill.....Knecht also seeks the center......
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Re: "The Glass Bead Game", Chapter 1, The Call
I continue to read Chapter 1, which is much more enjoyable when I read it for pleasure rather than analysis, BTW. A few ideas and observations:
A running theme seems to be one of music as the "voice" of the people. Knecht unquestionably heard his when he played with the Master and "...had experienced his vocation, which may surely be spoken of as a sacrament." (pg. 56) He was found to be a musician of a higher order, beyond someone who merely reads the score and strikes the corresponding keys. It is as though something resonnated to his core. His intellectual growth is marked by a similar internal locus of control: As he prepared for a path different from his classmates he began an internal separation. Likewise, his internal transition facilitated his adjustment to the elite school when some of his classmates withdrew. Knecht, it seems, was not distracted by sentiment or family or emotionalism. He seems very unaffected.
Another significant revelation was the experience Knecht himself describes: His sensory experiences--one olfactory, one auditory--affected him at his core. Perhaps he has begin to senthesize his experiences. Both were powerful for him. I couldn't help but recall that the sense of smell is the most powerful of all psychological triggers: Scents can trigger memories that are deeply buried in the subconscious, possibly evoking visceral responses long repressed. Knecht was said to have grown from within but "at the same tempo" as the outer world. Again, the musical theme characterizes the description of our character.
A running theme seems to be one of music as the "voice" of the people. Knecht unquestionably heard his when he played with the Master and "...had experienced his vocation, which may surely be spoken of as a sacrament." (pg. 56) He was found to be a musician of a higher order, beyond someone who merely reads the score and strikes the corresponding keys. It is as though something resonnated to his core. His intellectual growth is marked by a similar internal locus of control: As he prepared for a path different from his classmates he began an internal separation. Likewise, his internal transition facilitated his adjustment to the elite school when some of his classmates withdrew. Knecht, it seems, was not distracted by sentiment or family or emotionalism. He seems very unaffected.
Another significant revelation was the experience Knecht himself describes: His sensory experiences--one olfactory, one auditory--affected him at his core. Perhaps he has begin to senthesize his experiences. Both were powerful for him. I couldn't help but recall that the sense of smell is the most powerful of all psychological triggers: Scents can trigger memories that are deeply buried in the subconscious, possibly evoking visceral responses long repressed. Knecht was said to have grown from within but "at the same tempo" as the outer world. Again, the musical theme characterizes the description of our character.
- hesse
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Re: "The Glass Bead Game", Chapter 1, The Call
Hesse wants you to know that not all experiences can be communicated....and thus the Music Master responds, "truth is lived, not taught"....Another significant revelation was the experience Knecht himself describes: His sensory experiences--one olfactory, one auditory--affected him at his core.
These last few pages of Chapter 1 are extremely important....
I can think, I can wait, I can fast........
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Re: "The Glass Bead Game", Chapter 1, The Call
We're still early in the book, but it seems that Hesse is beginning to make a point here of moderation. Perhaps he is pointing out that to be centrist is better than swinging to the opposite ends of the pendulum.Murrill wrote:I agree: I find I am at my best when I am centered.hesse wrote:Center is good, Murill.....Knecht also seeks the center......
Does anyone know of a site that prints novels and poems to be read online for free?
- hesse
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Re: "The Glass Bead Game", Chapter 1, The Call
Not sure if you can use this, but I got a free copy of Siddhartha for my iPad/Kindle today....Does anyone know of a site that prints novels and poems to be read online for free?
Not sure which translation it is yet......
Think of moderation as balance, as in the balance of nature, which strives to extinguish extremes in favor of equilibrium ......We're still early in the book, but it seems that Hesse is beginning to make a point here of moderation. Perhaps he is pointing out that to be centrist is better than swinging to the opposite ends of the pendulum.
Last edited by hesse on Mon Jun 06, 2011 8:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: "The Glass Bead Game", Chapter 1, The Call
I have a few pages to go in Chapter 1, but at this point Knecht is about to leave his school. This marks the first time he has experienced some regret and loss. In prior transitions he moves seamlessly from point to point. This time he questions his decisions (or lack thereof) and thinks of departed classmates. In what appears to be a foreshadowing, the author teases that his next phase will be less smooth. It occurs to me that this is because he has formed attachments. You may recall that Knecht began to separate internally as he anticipated earlier severances. Not so this time: He has come to value his experiences and relationships. It seems that he may be teetering a bit.