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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does Mr. Spinell choose to look at beautiful women in the way that he does?

2. How does the writer spend the majority of his time?

3. Why can’t Mr. Spinell describe the beautiful woman he saw?

4. Where is Mrs. Kloterjahn from?

5. Where is Mr. Spinell introduced to the Kloterjahns?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Mr. Spinell say that he is staying at Einfried?

2. Of what is Mr. Kloterjahn a connoisseur?

3. What does Mr. Spinell spend most of his time doing?

4. What are some of the activities that the patients occupy themselves with?

5. Why has one of the other patients nicknamed Mr. Spinell the “Rotten Infant”?

6. Why is Miss van Osterloh said to feel reproachful towards men?

7. How is it obvious that Mrs. Kloterjahn is devoted to Mr. Kloterjahn?

8. Why is Mr. Kloterjahn grateful that his wife’s condition does not stem from the lungs?

9. What happens when a patient dies?

10. What is the one imperfection in Gabriele Kloterjahn’s face?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

At Einfried, most of the patients are tubercular. What significance does tuberculosis have for the novella? Why did Mann choose this particular disease to inflict on Gabriele Kloterjahn? How does the disease relate to Mann’s interpretation of the concepts of art and the artist? How does the story arc correspond to the progression of Gabriele’s illness?

Essay Topic 2

The novella ends with a conflict between Mr. Kloterjahn and Mr. Spinell. How does this come about? What issues do the two men have with each other? Compare and contrast their characters and the endings that the novella provides for each man.

Essay Topic 3

Mr. Spinell, though paying to stay at Einfried for treatment, does not seem to be actually ill. What does this say about his character? How does his lack of illness relate to his identification as an artist? Why does he want to appear ill? If, as Mann seems to be stating, the artist is inherently a creature of sickness and Mr. Spinell is not sick, can he truly be said to be an artist?

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This section contains 576 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample