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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 Mr. Spinell’s voice described?

2. How does Mrs. Kloterjahn feel about her husband?

3. Why does Mr. Spinell say that he is really at Einfried?

4. How old is the Kloterjahns' son?

5. Mr. Spinell seems afraid of…

Short Essay Questions

1. Why doesn’t Dr. Leander consult with Dr. Muller on Gabriele’s case?

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

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

4. What are Dr. Muller’s responsibilities?

5. How do we know that Mr. Kloterjahn is an Anglophile?

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

7. What seems to be Dr. Leander’s opinion of Mr. Spinell?

8. Of what is Mr. Kloterjahn a connoisseur?

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

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 2

As with any author, Mann’s writing drew on his own life and experiences. What experiences did Mann live through that may have had an influence on his writing?

Essay Topic 3

The novella takes place entirely in Einfried, a sanitarium. Why did Mann choose this setting for his novella? How might the novella be different if the setting were changed? What significance does the sanitarium have for the novella? What does it represent?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 495 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample