The Man Without Qualities Vol. 1: A Sort of Introduction and Pseudo Reality Prevails

Ulrich is the son of a wealthy judge/law professor in 1913 Vienna, capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He is 32, good looking, smart, and physically fit. He quit the cavalry after he made a mistake with a higher-up's wife, had a short time as an engineer until he found the things he was working on unfulfilling, and is now a mathematician, though he has lost the desire to prove theorems and is no longer hoping for an academic appointment. He has had numerous affairs with women but none have meant much to him for a long time. He sees through much of the b.s. of his society but goes along, sort of a half-hearted Nietzsche.People are struck by the progress science and technology have made, without a corresponding advance in morality. In fact, many fear that science has emptied life and the universe of meaning. Without anyone realizing, art has crept in to fill the vacuum. The hereditary nobility still have prestige and deference but it seems less organic, more artificial. Ulrich has many, many conversations about these and other weighty topics. The author frequently raises questions and does philosophy, in the broad old-fashioned sense. Lurking in the background are German Idealist philosophy, psychoanalysis, the novels of Dostoevsky, and so much more--some things that are still vital, some now on the dustbin of history. It often seemed that there was more philosophy than narrative.Which makes for a somewhat difficult book, especially as the sentences are often long and involved. Some times I found the cerebration fascinating; other times I couldn't care, or it just didn't seem to make sense (my fault or the book's?). Mixed in is a good deal of humor and satire and sarcasm. And irony, don't forget irony. Some times wickedly entertaining. Some times like an English assignment you wish would go away.If you persevere, you reach page 725--the last page--and nothing is resolved! I feel sure that for Musil that is both realistic and symbolic, but it can also feel unsatisfying.

Robert Musil's two-volume unfinished novel published in 1952 and 1978 is remarkably relevant to the current Zeitgeist in the United States. The central character Ulrich is a man without qualities, a person indifferent to his middle class position and abilities. But he is described by a friend as consisting of qualities without a man, a cynical poser hiding behind general intellectual and social skills. Ulrich is afforded prescience from beyond "the break" as Musil's contemporary Thomas Mann described the Great War. He realizes the traditional world of art and culture in kingly and bureaucratic Kakania, a fictional city-state in Austria, is on the brink of destruction due to advances of the middle class in commerce and science. All that is needed for the old world to be tipped into the abyss is the identification of a scapegoat by intellectually deficient but charismatic leaders and the mobilization of diverse and self-interested ethnic and national subgroups. This resembles our current `ghost of the time' in America.Ulrich's indifference is made possible by the lifelong efforts of the diplomatic work of his middle class bureaucrat father. The family's financial advantages allow him to begin a career in science, specifically mathematics, with theoretical rather than applied goals. Ulrich has some success as a mathematician, but sees no future in what he perceives as nothing more than a social group of like-minded theorists. As a result of his father's political connections and his own personal charisma, Ulrich is recognized for general intellect and charm by the monarchy and upper middle class in Kakania. He is appointed to a leadership position on a national committee charged with the task of developing a theme, a slogan that will unite Austria in pride during the seventieth jubilee of the Emperor Franz Joseph I. Because of his prescience and cynicism, Ulrich realizes that the group has an impossible task. The future of Austria does not involve celebration of the old, but rather radical social change targeting the Jews as scapegoats and the empowerment of special interest groups within the Austro-Hungarian Empire.We can see the parallels between Kakania, and the United States as we face an economic meltdown and a change of leadership in the White House. We can anticipate the inevitable cycle of change, but who will benefit? What special interest groups will mobilize seeking power? What leaders will gain support in the new era of our undercivilized (Henry James' term) culture: the proponents of humanity and tradition or proponents of Realpolitic based on practicality and power? Musil's novel puts the reader in the unique position of identifying with Ulrich, a self made person without intrinsically valuable qualities, living in a disintegrating nation. If we, like Ulrich, possess superficial and limiting personal qualities and are indifferent to them, we may become more reliant on the intervention and restriction of government in our daily lives. The result may be that we have no enduring and free culture to help us understand and maintain the values of the human person.

The quintessential novel of ideas, I am simply astounded that I managed to get through the first 50 years of my life without knowing of this incredible book. Someone here noted that almost every review notes two things about this book: that is a novel of ideas and that it takes place in pre-World War I Vienna. The reviewer complained that a) it is much more than just an amazing collection of ideas and thoughts expressed brilliantly and b) when it occurred was irrelevant in that the ideas expressed by Musil are timeless and apply everywhere. I agree with the first comment but disagree completely with the second.While it is true that much of Musil's extended discussion of modern technological life still applies a century later, one of the really fascinating aspects for me was Musil's revelations of what the psychology of "Kakania" was under the Hapsburgs that led to WW I. Musil is writing primarily during the period between the two wars and for him as for all of Europe during this time, the overwhelming catastrophe that was the first war had to have been a central concern for him. IMHO, to say that the setting of the novel is irrelevant is to massively diminish one of the many central concerns of MusilAs others have noted, Musil is a constant revelation writing in epigrams that strike one on almost every page. It is simply brilliant and one of the truly great works of 20th century literature, very much able to hold it's own with Proust and Mann. Not an easy read by any means (I have been at it for over a year), it is rare when a work rewards effort so admirably.

… but poor quality of the book: the physical object.

Libro clásico moderno qué hay que leer.

This writing style is enjoyable to read. A loose, free flowing plot ties everything together with clever philosophical and moral insights for everyday life. Must read.