mann, thomas - theme of the joseph novels (gpo, 1943)

8/17/2019 Mann, Thomas - Theme of the Joseph Novels (GPO, 1943)

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1t ht

of th[ j os[ph .o\dBY

THOMAS MNNFELLOW IN GERMIC LTEE

IN T

LBRY OF G

Washington • 1942


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g f a b D. Mn h gAuiu h b f Cgr g Nmb 17 19.


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IT IS prhaps, ot a of dce to o wo lis o r o k h ir rc c i of sk sig fr

aui: a r f r gm ay v pr r or ll faal is d c.

m i s is a priua si a sg h r m. T p h sr ur, bu a ialpi a mmr of sa o h Lbry of C;ha a t hor, a a jy fo m: it h h co f oba ao; harm to h yo k, ars s v a m p ly pbl. y l ha hy , i h vw of pay f l w r, paic v, r, a ma a festie i, whi k, t ough mi fa, h r l i spialy ubima m, io sial f hr a .

I g ra ii pic i I spakr, o pak- il, a fv p, o ly ause a s u h, or hu

, s hara, b au a iy rk is b hos y ob h a a a si: mr t -i s, i p of fv cbra ob d visuaa -l a hih paiy ua i

- . � - . -� . ·/ ., "� - e p st d m r, h msl xs he iytle

p ·- · . " · , . _�

[3]


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Y have en tld, f e, at I k autthe k

'

�s pl .

," a !elgy of novels,or_whos

a vole, Joh r (,i ·Let e ay rst, that I as

qte tartle d oncerted whe hibald Maceishuggested k t me a y tpi fr tonight,-I uch rath ilined t refe th t act. Wuld itnt ee terribly prep, vain d egenic, Italked ty, and here, aut my wn aair, y own

work, in ther wr: about highly perol d privateer ntd of geral d iant ne, of the greates d hope of o te, f the d it objetiv?A yet, is a time d a old here it make alostno derene wat we talk about-we alay talk aboutone d te e thing. Categorie ble, the bordernebeeen the derent sphere of hu thought eel verything i oeted i ev eld, th, it has alays bee : ly, e ere t onsci of it. One, it was possible to dinguih e pely ethetic," pely plosophi," pely religious"

sphere d the sphere f pliti, of hu iety, f natinal d internatonal unity life, d t dele thate ere itereted in the ne but ot in the ther. is g poible We e terte n the hl we e nterted in nthing Ttaliian i ppressive

wrd in it tictly politica g; e d ot like th it bee it ignie the voracio abton f all hu by the tate. But, then, e e ndeed vingn a totalitarian old, a orld f totality, f pirt d lletive rponibilit, before hih a vereignehave t abdiate Uni i the ord f hitori hoe wrld wants to become one, all te ay, to pratia


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rli, do to economic maters It s a world of inniely ma t ins to u llei ae,aut a novel, s no necesari insipid indeli todthe ea d bning concens of o ime, d owd

he pligh, he suggle, he lonng of hmaniyf cose, dpends a lie o he nove.I hve ofen en asked what it acuall as hat mde

m r d ouf-thew j d in�d me o rsorm e biblil leend of he Epan

sh ino a broad cycle of novels, requring my ys

a serng qeion, ere is ie iporance in e eernal d ecdoical circcs ROed e, amos a dede d a haf ao hen I ws Mih o re-rd e sory in my od cesabibe. Suce it o y hat I as delied, ·d a

mediely aQinro d rodive sching in m mind as o wha o be lke o renew drepre _ching sor in fresh a wi _ _! M h echnical ones. t mediatey, h!

il assiaed theseles i he htof _a radiion: he though of Ge, in ac, ho reaes his memoes Dihng d Wahei" ho he, s a icaed he Josep story to a frind d, in doso, had woven i o a broad nrave. However, it s

e h fae

f uctio case, in he auhor's ojudeen i slacked mch in sbsce" As expaion of ths you d premare venre, hesixy ye od Ghe obsees: Tis naral sory is highyle ol se t it ou n all is deas"

How sge Iedaely, hese words om Dichn


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d Wahrheit e to m nd, n e dt o m revris: the wer n m memor; I did not have to rereadthem-d nd e se 0st as the moo orwUdtk; the frnish siplest o

plausil xlan for m vnture Te tmptaon w the had naivel followed, namel to rout

!po

� all des,rpeate_

m at a stage f m 1en ec e could detel sp

sbstan as wll. But what ds tat m t d en brie repoed? It is acess, reaza ;w� !_ vjva, so &9U s fwo y s dgp·f_J 4ou nk, ,l it uth aut it aft havng n v u de· t sujet I stil rememw usd I was, d how muh of a complment I considerd it, when m copist n Munh, a simple wo,brought mthe tpritten p of te rst volume, "TStoris f aab d said: ow we knw at last how a acall happnd Tat was touhng-fr, ater ait did not happ x$ s e cona, la d the e raon dvisualzioibl brought aut b a e mes ol chlog, prsnon d n addon, ial

cont; d hor, dspite a hum sriousnss, s the What, ave l, is nsprd b hor te k the d sienc rech, whih e just lke enriv ip, ms of g r;d the md to h to eate fo d not totalk ivid in his s

Te reasoning al is it not reall the lgua

]


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the _ wor itsl it h been incoort in its lnguistic shere it is indect stled d bteing lange contibuon to the seudxctness clos to ersig d y rt o iron or scientc e

nt o wholly unscientc d egeny te ony It quite ossble tht such secret chs laed thi

the e of th elest concetion of the wo. Bu this ds not swe the question s to how I e to se s chic subjecttte o the dwn o indQen c tnces soe of esonl d others of geneal teoal ccte contbuted to t, d thepal_ OJS

ee o of teol ne; the hd sothng to tose es wth stage of le tt he edness is ll As , nd s

tst I ust soehow h been in reine ss to oducel ttacted sch sbjt-mtte,.nd Bdg ws not ee chce The ous stges of lfe hfnt inclans, cls, endences of sts wes abilities and dvantages It is probbly a rule tat cet yeas tht fo ley ndivdua and partcuahenomna fo he idvidual cse fo te "bourgeoissect the wt ee o e word fades out gradualyInstead the typ the eternally-huan eternallyecuringtelss n shot: � cJQero _ {

th Fo te the tyica s ade

myticUsofar t is ise ttn d istine form of le timeless model and foma of eld nto which lif enters byeroducng its ts ou t of nconscious Dentey th ent of the ytcl iewot is. of decse o the lfe of the nrto; it sgnies eculaen of hs atistic new seenty in recog

7


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nng and shapig whih, said fore, is ordnaiye-served for the ater ys of if: for the mythica, it s ruerepJ��n e ad priiive stge he ifehw t, ate d mtu the ife of e-

4 v T ord haity has bn pWeneon _wi_ he ieas of th tssp L aprnc. n anss to fl otly attat by a sbjtatt

l t Jos lgnd be�


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ave, he Ci y o f M , as I should like toc t , w e wln d a binng d alleermning basic pathos, ding lhe wa to deailed and pracal matters; we need sath for t, d love d ..X

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Raher, it urned out that wa intenonall; or theauthor was f om atibuig it qualit in the ginning nce again it came to ass that a work developed amuch grter raon t w inherent the ratherskepical d b o ms bious nare o e one onwhom i imosed ise, an om whom t exacted eosf beond all plans d execaons

o begin i alwas terribl dilt: until one feels oneself mter of a subject; l one lns the lguage ispeaks, d c repruce i ; - much coing d larng

a long iner fon i required Bu what I pledwas so new d unusual, tat never b oer i ti Tere was the need of estabsh act wi a sge orld, thevdial orld d to "take conac, n the pic sense of he

q signies soein ver cmiaed ma: enerried o identicati an selfsbstio, e be crted which i lled "sle, s ala ue and complee aalgation

f

et &

How much

dv

enrise of is died b e inruion to e


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st ole of Jh d H Broths," Te Stor ofJaacob," wc fors he thropologcal prelude to thewhole work. Ened scent nto Hell" t i a fea

ch

s l se prpaon for

rsy eedona one o o e p t th ors T oe was sxt-fur pgthat ht v d e spcous n rerdto the prortons of h whole, d dd to a derespec lly

d

�

ry

s h

alo ud not do, bu at th v d •r of e orld dem< o ncluded, h stor of Jaac ld aolum: n ned r,ag d revern&reced the s g eted by he noey owth

humn b who d4 not ue know WC

e

k t mor pous depw

bngs whos dty was �nn bc d udd ast w h h d whose ss thy a ad whh aga c st throuh Nov r cupdus"

ts che t st bter th aone elseo s oe rdan he by h od d worn o,d ore patn for nw, ahough noby, on eoth hd, s ore bound o tdon th he i 1actn con, fl of tadton w ecng n

that s rall hs cng d hs busss, d te convcoth such a th no be one bfor" s the dsable motor of al s ndusy I have alwys needed thsprng covton n order to accopsh yn, deedv seemd to e that I had nrcd or soy th ths e. Stores oQ tr sucsso_e

.

gJ h," were ? 10


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pleted wle I w sll in rmy D my work ovsp the break in my ut� m whih I ould not re he sue loss o m le's basis the largr pa o

"Josh i Egpt is wrk br in xil My oldst daughterwho de t rturn to o ry osted ho iMuih er e revolutin, roved te msript brght it to me in Soutrn Fre; d slly atr terst shk o my new, uprted siuatin, I resd he

wk whih w ontiud ompleted in the Swiss reue which we njyed r ve yes, o e Le oZurch.

Now, ten ative entred int_ i)ed at ulal sphe t wiuh sya im, a n aar to tm o m h, so at I re a h t tahr wh d o lass ond us telvyeld bos t t a _ yst int Egpts I shoe that I w er�o" : : 1 swer d as uo"C, sa Tat ws

, in the opinin o the teacher He reprahed me or hai rd my hd, hen I nw only nonsense. "Apisw he ht he orreted me ily. But p' oly the latiizati or hellnizatin o th autenp ne whih I had given Te pl o K

sad I knew tter tha the g m, but isidid not allow me to nligtn aut i I kptsilt-d all my I have nt rgiven mysl or isen ore alse aurit A Ameri by wud ertainly have spoe up

Oioally I tought o ly idt while I wwrin oseph Ept.!mst a ln r i

(II


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my lfe secet coecons must lead rom it to elest chld o te I v i lc don. Thbty reacng fo a subject t which one d not ave

adtona cams o sympathy d nowledge see senseless d amateh to me.Due to its erotc content the rd Jos vol

mo� l o t ' e_setng deent om what s generally1o

t Th ablty of s teras alwas en considabe Tay howeer t lmstls as though notng counts ymoe n te domn ote noe except what no longer a novel. Perhaps it walways tat way. as Joseph Egypt" s concenedyou wl tat ts noele eotc content t as been

nd nto the myl by sn l scoogy That holds ue ptculy for te seal satrehch s cented ond te r of the o s tea oe n s nohngess d of Ddu tcous nd p dge In a humoo spt a

oecton s shown here between te sexual d hl:a coecton whch must ep to reconcle us to Je's chastity hs resstc to t dere of h unfrtunatemstess as gen b e bblcal mel

trd of te Josh noves ew der e cella

n o my partng fom ry-te fourth grew dertat of m ptng fom Erope }oseph he Poder" tenal pt of te wo whc bngs s e to oer twotousd pages came o beng enrey der Amricasy n fact lgely de e seene Egptane s ofalforna. Now Popha's deoted favote saves as a prner n a Nle oess whose coder s a g


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mo g a tht oseph later m Major accet into the ve a helpflr1d. n the fors, oseph cossioned to act as aet to the digisd svts of e Royal who

arive one dy as prisoners der vtigtion: the bd the �uar Now he trpres drs,n he ay comes wh he e prison htead stands before Phao. e is irty ys old hn, ano i seventeen T hysive er youth,

a s of G

like Josephs foreahers, d enmoured drea relion of lov h ceded e roneding he e of Joseph's imprisonmen He s ici

pg, a pree tian, the mytcal protoype ofose, who e on the ight wy, but not e rigt ones fortht wa It i a widely ramed seqence of chapte$ hi eph gain the lmited condence of te yog rUlr, d t wose nd e receives e rng of powr

Now e i Vicoy, takes the wellknown ms ofrovidece for te comng fmine d enters into a matrmony of State wih As, dughter of the s priest of

OHelopoli But here, he story rens from he Egp oil to the the of the rst d second vole, toCan, d a complete long shostory is intepolatedwhich gvs to vole its outsandng femle character,as te rst one hd it in te person of the lovely Rchel,

the hird one in te fruilsly desng Mutmenet. It isTh, he daughterinlaw of u, a gre of dsyle, e female padigm o deteon, whose spirialbiion scorns no ms tht mgt help her, te paganld o Bl, to get on the path of Promise to becomea forbr of the Messah.

Now the fmine asses realiy, d drclly e


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a k , hch s hi a cis d fo wch h i f d b iad l os dlnon d vison of v Hw d Wh

a f h oh e wih h pci pa wih h silv p h n f n sc i whch a usi chd sings o ad Jaac a h Jh ali d lod veh d of ;-in iu d w n-d soe

Muni copis will pral len-hw ha has l hapnd novl xen o h sol awa f Jaac h h d Gsh; edo psio whch in ho h f aiach s h in wofd wh his fas nds h whol wok whih ogh d a dd f s was sdc Lad d e p w clined ad Josph d H Brohs a Jewish ovel a o f Jws Wl h slci of old

suec w accidn; s h wr hidd d eic cb d c ndcis of o whch alwas

fod pulv o h o f sou; owinlga -sei which i senia of Fcis

h d which co h dna f c Juds d Hellenis h wo princip pilsuon which o cidenl civilizaon s T i a novof h Jwish spiri w l sed l 4 i : w• h dsf

!lness d ofen ds

lik xgis d aplcion of Ta lik a a


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¥drasc. d ye l a s Jew oo ewok eoegrod j e Herew de ts dco s oy foeod oly oe sle elem oos oy o sam of ts lage wic sely

s e cac d e me e cal d alycal e las bk s a pm e sog of cao wce ms cd R]Q! &ob;

w

d

compos of psale ecollecos ltle veso e Gem omc ype. Ta s eple or e

cace o ole wok w seeks o bled a m


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woe conteplation keep the rigt wich e to eulate. A that of no elp d not t no reerence to te subjec-i ygienically excludedit i not conducive at te moment d eore

disllowed Well ten uc enghening rding duingthe lt osep ye w provided by two ks LaenceStrn's "Trism Sdy d G_"Fa perplex� , ing cbinn bu C o e o etegeneous wrk

ad i pticul functin a a stimult d in con

necin it wa a plase or me t know tat Ge ad ld Stn vry g esteem d ad lled im one othe nest intellect wo ad ever lived

Nuly it was t u sde e "osep wich pred by ti readi St w rou ex pressins d invention h genue cmical tcniqueacted me or to rees y work I needed meing likets And en Gte's "us tis ls work d linusic

mon ntdvpm

tender lrcal germelltis enrmu mix mic oper n mkind' gedy

pupsw d csc p T d agin I e

t tls ease ocespecl e second prt t te elena scen te clssl W lpis Nigtnd tis xan insatibe admrain ncated thesecret immesy my wn endvor tey revealed te di recn in wic te mbitin te sep sory pointed

its own r te authr usu ad t te outset enquite inncent of suc bition.t "� ·}- sr?l_ of E� n i t y, d t o c me et hi ng lke.t i my .h n wa t a ndti ne tency of theosetY· _ told aut were ee t ng fr te rst time. Tat was the aactive

nvelty te uncn amement ts d able 16)


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telng, ht everythng the fr e t e thne fdin tk plce fer the ther, the fn fve f envy, f hed, f murder d f h l:But d O! e r eein, ime; e reu rin ere hichrn he er, the e e re, r, ey m e r dielf prered in the rem f the e

i! chrer eek diit y trcing elf kt� .

s, myil a! e - v �g t p re nc e.I delled n the irh f he E f mythil

clectve te Arhmic Eg hi i prei engh e ht hul ee nly the Hight, hh ptin the dicvery G lled. The clmf the h eg t cen mprnce the preme frthe dcver f G, d frm he very rt the pt fr the dit f the g i cnnected ih ht fr edigniy f ht

At he me me, the humn remin cnne n the

ytil, e cecive, lge etent f ther g.Y


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�i cipa, it rows f mor l dng n th cmpltd s f his son Josh Tr on, wh has nt discovr G, but knows how "t Hm; on who i not oy th hr of hs tori, but

also thir drctor, ded th o wh pca adorns; on who, it , stil pacipat in the collcvd yhcal, but in a tgy spiriad d pa, pfly coi er. I n sho w (wJl g,n the prs f its cipao, n coms artc

go, aactv, dite dndgerd a teder co fo the e th, but wih inn ossib fvopent d mg, hav not xstd fo! i youh, h astc o f incusbl gtity: itliv de the ngeous son that vryy mlov it mor t But due t a sympathy d nnss which onehs it nvr rnoc, it its wayint sia, wh it ma, d comes th rovidrd bfaco of a forin op d of i ow

l

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wi i l ab nbi, i a l f en, a l h amph i s mu Jeph' tte c e i mef dcil a las)

Te feeing fr the y, dvcement, e c devepment i vey ng in k i wltlgy i cected th it ive m it: ym it cnceptin f the d tent "Bn eQ d m: fm the cnvicn

G m uy

en

U (her i cn apan f cemn F d, t, i ·ub} evep .• ' · o

s

_

Qc m C o i hly; He swithut the he f the h piit lie pt ithut ce.l Q de tW; ye i;I d JE ! t

n

tzvess ob entve t the ie chge d, the 1. p _ h I ece w hich loe s no tme1 .adjqst� f�d-Jeai&jc) e

�D

(W 'l J n•J e quted b t< _ cnnue to ie i,u inetivene d dibedience. Ad heever b k speaks aut the "�ncr n' w i 'G," i �p; b u th e ut e f thi in fy. ncern h G i

nt ne the ceting f ' tu tg d ecgning Hm, but piniy the cnenith , ith hh m ; ih hded f he en, he pte f e aen, f hed h. It i the ineigent itening t ht the ldit w t e new ne

; a e

s _ {qwQ :

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b ·G -

d nQt _ko is cocer� or �OIwih i as cumsiy as Lab who si beieves ha he msuge is e so-. e foaonfh ous cusm wi one w qu·

'ssr·

M I a, Laes ee, ha we owe he ibu aios whch we ow hav o de h sophe wh we e vi, o he fac ha we acke ceowd G a deee hch had o come crima?

Eope, h or, f f s d o , f v bsoee d e e ahr hichhad e cey oisce by he wo , d whchwe perme o conue, du md and dobdienceo his wi I s uers i ai oows i csiy B ever, perhaps,

a e se oe such pahogca, such sakaby gous esio, n he poca d ecoomicfe of he pepes, e h reiy, een hgsog eaced accompise by he p beeegs which s k he y of cag emseves

eay; f odice o he pri or, regousyspakng, o Gs i, doubey he e use forhe ord exposion which sus us Bu exposio is equaizao, d I ha hee, s ha, i s ue he rgh

pace express he hope ha afer w, wr o

chirenwl ve a wo o happier euaao beeen spir d reay, ha we wi " he p" Teword peace aways has a regous rg, wa i sigesi a gf of eece beore G

You dsd, I ger o prove, ha i is o woyvain ie o speak au my pivae wok a a momke d of geera impor maes I my

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ell myself ha ee e oeios bewee my wok angeeal an imoa maesinee uneeath allbaiage ha is is see moo a c eet unahem the ase of main is ie i i a heefoe

he mae i whih his bo eas e myh so eem · a oemo n f g ;vle -huma mae whe po lii amewe alJc �· Afe all he wo "myh has a ba euaiowaasweol have o hi of he ile of hek, hih e "hiloso of Gema fassm Roseb he eeo of Hile has ive o his visious texb: "The My of e 2 Ce So ofe in the ladedes ad e mh bee abused as a meas of obsuanti tr-rvlutin hat a yhical nvel lke th Jphun its rs aece invitably ausd th usicin

hat is authr wa ag wit ky sa. Thiusiin had b didd r a a secnd glce a rsuld bseed siil t what haens n a battle whna catued nd und d diected agais thny bk e has n takn out Fascist

d huaned d· it I terity ds yting re�kabl abut i

. -

In e iea hum

_ S�JSC he as d ha r h utu adiin d rvlutin

om a sane ad t y ind nt active Je slgan "aiv rvluin has playd enicis ar acis ha seized i i seized te yd tede t e te cnevatie evoluinatue i aud But wha bette ula t jt is:"cneatie revluin culd be und r te iit dg a aus seech which an Aeican

2


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onent of Facm, He A. Wallace, Vce Predent of the Unted State of Aer, hed fore the ember uest of the Free World Asaton on th 8th of May of t e Th eech, "Te Pce ofFee W od Vctory

, thin, a butfl xle of te uncaton of adton and evouton in e ee of the Hume; te strrng f that toda te onerng d te revoluto wle one d te ame, e sly the good wil

May I sa, that omostion of omewhat milar

at

e? t bases its concep of iety uon �e.

- c, "£ y� o m et , of adv ace me t tow3d efection,. �-.an avancent r which God n man temelve,bu at e same time e dea of adition a ·he 6s � reated to you how G memory, a word of hi abou the Joeh tale, enteed to rt revees when ted y hd at th ubject; I also tod ou of te ecet r�fc. Goe 'sF! whch m wor ded to' wle t grew. Tloldn wi srg e fr rtn cen and cended to te nne natue of m ta,

myc sk. Fo what ele t but succeon reCocn, te f cg-�( e\ _p, e cde detcatn wth admied do ho tdt(? ¥ is ition, and to live n tradjon mean to ve n t

·iss ]: s

and Geeme, a fe of expr-ene n fod wa: when t rve to foow he eat, t lo become a e of exeencng eanes,-ot lke the cent no te hitor: not objectvely and &om wth out, but in ubjecve, ractcal, oductve wa Thee, t d eent stage of m lfe, have lved under th oonged tenson of ass, whch had anty o


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gress: at the age of wenty-ve, when I ied my d the nove of te Germ bourgeoisie Buddenbrks, at heage of ty, wen in the Magic Mota I ade a iendyater ego pass through the adventures of Eope intelec

tu controversies, d between sixty d seventy, when Itld mnkind's fy tle f Js d is btes '?tcite l�yflly in the cnscisness f get cetiveness -cqie theeby, the igt t me fmili cletin f tnss tn e lly nexeienced nd uitited ssess, tt is smeting, t t a e"Tt m tets imself d ds nt send s el a" I ve my Jse nse_ citic smticl temeity, "is fte ll t mttes mst;nd eits o enttment e ble t rea atcnts ." -

d n Ldes d entlemen, lt e ally ren tothe fact wic sees to me to have a certn symboic vue,ter all, naely that the mytha play of Joseph d hisBrotes, ben n Gery, continued in Switzerd,trsplanted to Aerica was copleted ere, in contact with

the Americ myth. For there is such a thig; you, t,live n a traditon here, walk in fteps, in patern ftsteps, whch you ca yo Way of Life The pioner-leoptism d hety faith in , the menta youess,the benevolent d condent ideas and principles uponwhih the Union was fodd by the fathers, ots to theAmeri myth, which is alive today. In h biogaphy,Gthe speaks about an alleviation for anity eetedby the Ameri w of liberation; d the Eope eigation to Amrica (which ds its way into the a partsof the Wihel Meister), sprg om the onstant desire

to ptiipate in alleviaton; it was the pgimage to a


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pe otain o health But the meae d the signie whih thi gt d migraton ha aumed at preent e something new The diapora o Eope whi we e witneing the rial of o my o its eers

repreentae o all tegorie of iene d art to thee hore heir more or les inotry deiion formed howeer into o ati to omplete their work in theAmeri of le-tht is something er trange d preedented it opens ped posbitie of e

hge d equaation d may e supremely helfu in reating the e eeling o humanim o whih I pokeO

lo�

thu e entirely d erent signie rom that o ormer emiation the igne o the oaeene o the emipheres o te unation of the eth "Eope wt to eome one that is long os lete the ear t wt to eome one "Untion i the word d ommd o te word our e e long$ o the unio o£ knoege and hope o prounditand oage of fait and abor te fae o doubt an depte doubt


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mann, thomas - theme of the joseph novels (gpo, 1943)

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