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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. How is the director of the sanitarium described?

2. How is Mr. Spinell’s voice described?

3. What does Mrs. Kloterjahn say to Mr. Spinell about his sleeping habits?

4. What disease is primarily treated at the sanitarium?

5. How is Mr. Kloterjahn described?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Gabriele Kloterjahn’s inspect her handkerchief after she clears her throat?

2. How does Mrs. Kloterjahn seem to feel about Mr. Spinell?

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

4. What is Mr. Spinell like when he is “sociable”?

5. What does the vein do to Gabriele Kloterjahn’s countenance?

6. How does Mr. Spinell act towards Gabriele Kloterjahn?

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

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

9. Why are specific cases in particular Dr. Muller’s responsibility?

10. Why doesn’t the sanitarium restrict its business to consumptive patients?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Mr. Spinell believes himself to be in love with Gabriele. What does this say about his character? What does this say about their relationship? Do we, as readers, believe that he truly loves and understands Gabriele? Why or why not? Does she feel the same way about him?

Essay Topic 2

Mann uses various psychological concepts, including that of Freud’s sublimation, in Tristan. What is sublimation? How does it appear in and contribute to the novella? How do the characters use sublimation? How does the concept of sublimation relate to Mann’s interpretation of art and the artist?

Essay Topic 3

The novella takes its title from the legend of Tristan and Isolde, although the legend is never mentioned by name in the text. How does the legend relate to the novella? Does it work as a metaphor? Why or why not? Why might Mann have chosen a title that stems from this legend?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 546 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample