I wonder if the Order has created a monster? Of course, this story is being told in retrospect, so I assume that Castalia, the Game, etc has survived into 2400-2500 AD. I think DL Hesse mentioned earlier that it seemed Knecht was made for this, and it seems that he was. But his curiosity is taking h...

Ideas--at least the discussion of them--as a point of departure seems a radical notion given the culture that exists. Hesse's view of the environment is just as timely now as it was when he wrote the novel: It could easily have been written today. I will suggest that Hesse speaks of a culture that h...

I thought that Knecht's expedited admission to the Order was interesting. Conspiracy theories abound: Were they trying to silence him? Did they just want him isolated? It was foreboding, I thought. I hope we can jump-start this discussion. There does not seem to be a very much participation, and I b...

I've begun to realize that I should question the narrator's reports. I think we had discussed earlier that he might be something of a sychophant--the PR guy, if you will. Did I mention how much I appreciate your input?

@Robert Tulip: I always enjoy your posts, and I am glad that you have contributed again to this discussion. I hope to hear more from you. Wonderful insight into what happens to Knecht during this process, and I agree that this experience is a GBG in & of itself. I hope it is not an oversimplific...

I see your point--and concur. Perhaps I should have written that I missed the presence of the Elder in the story. But you are correct that he remains. With your reply I was remiinded of my own attachment, aware that I have given credence to the illusion that at-one-ment is transitory. To be honest I...

I have finished Chapter 3. Clearly aware of what is expected of him, cognizant of which courses of study are deemed acceptable, Knecht surreptitously pursues whatever interests him. His curriculum vitae was noted to "zigzag." Certainly, he seems to be charting his own course. I think he is...

Hesse, I'm already "stoked," I think. The author's POV is very consistent with mine. I can't believe I never discovered this novel since I minored in English in college. Of course, I had a preference for British literature at the time. I like to think I have matured, and life circumstances...

It seems that the Masters are more concerned with form than content. To Knecht, it seems, the GBG has decayed to the point that it is little more than a parlor game, a by-rote exercise. As with everything else at Castalia, it seems the GBG has grown stale. Knecht has begun to resist. He distances hi...

You make a good point, Robert. At his young age it is easy to believe in the universiality of one's small piece of the world. It really comes down to perception, I guess.