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Einfried

This is the sanitarium in which the novella takes place. Primarily for patients with tuberculosis, the sanitarium also accepts patients with other ailments. Einfried enjoys an excellent reputation, but its failures (in the form of deceased patients) are significantly downplayed and generally not acknowledged.

Tristan and Isolde

This story of the ill-fated lovers, but specifically Wagner’s opera, is seen by Mr. Spinell as a parallel for his relationship with Gabriele Kloterjahn. Gabriele, at his insistence, plays the complete opera on the piano, and is greatly weakened by the effort.

Art

This plays a somewhat dangerous role in the novella, in the form of Mr. Spinell. A writer, Mr. Spinell lives his life outside the realm of reality, and chooses to idealize and romanticize things as opposed to seeing them as they really are. We never find out what Mr. Spinell suffers from, and it is implied...

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