A review by travelling_bookworm
Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
“I am in truth the Steppenwolf that I often call myself; that beast astray that finds neither home nor joy nor nourishment in a world that is strange and incomprehensible to him.”
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This is perhaps a story that might seem familiar or relevant to most, battling with themes of war on all fronts: from the past nightmare of WW1 to the looming fear of a new war on the horizon, but also, and perhaps above all, the war of the inner selves. The wild vs. the civilized, the innate vs. the curated, being an outsider vs. being an insincere part of the herd… The search for the self within itself, within the society around, and within religion is above all a great question to tackle.
As far as philosophical fiction goes, it is an interesting piece of writing. It definitely has its ups (like the entire second half of the novel) and downs (like the first half of the novel, particularly the suffocating Treatise on the Steppenwolf), and was a thought-provoking read overall. If you are patient enough to push past the first half of the book, the narrative gets much more interesting and unique.
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This is perhaps a story that might seem familiar or relevant to most, battling with themes of war on all fronts: from the past nightmare of WW1 to the looming fear of a new war on the horizon, but also, and perhaps above all, the war of the inner selves. The wild vs. the civilized, the innate vs. the curated, being an outsider vs. being an insincere part of the herd… The search for the self within itself, within the society around, and within religion is above all a great question to tackle.
As far as philosophical fiction goes, it is an interesting piece of writing. It definitely has its ups (like the entire second half of the novel) and downs (like the first half of the novel, particularly the suffocating Treatise on the Steppenwolf), and was a thought-provoking read overall. If you are patient enough to push past the first half of the book, the narrative gets much more interesting and unique.