In addition, when Musil is satirizing upper class society, intellectuals and the Austrian bureaucracy he uses bizarre and hilarious metaphors. The chapter titles, for instance, are cleverly funny: Chapter 28 is “A chapter that may be skipped by anyone not particularly impressed by thinking as an occupation” and Chapter 39 is “A man without qualities consists of qualities without a man.” I didn’t quite detect it, not at this level anyway, from reading his shorter works.
What makes an epic book like this, and War and Peace, a truly great piece of literature is the level of riveting detailed that is maintained throughout the writing.Īnother initial impression I have from reading the first few hundred pages of A Man without Qualities is what a brilliant and amazing wit Musil possesses. He starts, of course, with his main character, Ulrich-the very man without qualities-and then gives us portraits of those with whom Ulrich has contact, from the maid of a distant cousin, to a convicted murder in the news headlines, to important members of the Austrian government. Musil constantly switches his narrative back and forth among different characters, buildings layers of interest through his third person point-of-view.
My reading experience reminds me, so far, of War and Peace, which I devoured the winter before last in a matter of three weeks. I’ve spent the last couple of days immersed in Musil’s enormous, 1,400 plus, two volume, unfinished Magnum Opus and have been completely drawn in and captivated by his writing.
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