The Hermetic Structure of Thomas Mann's "Dere Zauberberg" and C.G.Jung's Psychology of Alchemy

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Thomas Mann calls his "Der Zauberberg" an hermetic novel and regards the human growth of Hans Castorp as an alchemical exaltatio. This remark was considered a symbolic expression, and not received too much seriously so far. This research is an attempt that clarifies the meaning and the range of this remark from the viewpoint of the psychology of alchemy of C.G.Jung. The points are follows.1)Hans as prima materia traces the road to the Philosopher's stone while repeating separation and uniting with various substances as Chauchat, Setembrini and the like. However, this attempt an coniunctio of spiritus et corpus is not succesful. It means the criticism of modern rationalism of Europa and groping for a new humanism by overcoming the extreme rationalism at the same time. This is the same as the case of alchemy according to its interpretation of C.G.Jung.2)This process of the story ist closely related to the narrative of Th.Mann. It is equal to the attempt at the separation and the uniting in the alchemy experiment in which various elements are sealed up in the retort, put on the fire, and distilled very ardently for a long time. The narrator tries also to spin inevitable string from chance meetings and occurrences, and requests a true possibility of coniunctio. I clarified this feature by analysing the narrative.3)The above-mentioned trait of the novel is corresponding to that of Goethe's "Faust". So to speak, it is a failing attempt at the alchemy experiment, too. A modern parody of this drama which Th.Mann seemes to intend in his novel is a more fundamental "imitatio" in this meaning. This fact turns out only after the viewpoint of C.G.Jung's psychology of alchemy.