Chapters 10 - 14 Summary

Chapter 10: Here Ulrich makes his second try. Musil writes that here, the first seeds for becoming a man without qualities begins. Ulrich went into civil engineering after he left the cavalry. He learned a great deal from engineering. He also noticed that many of them tended to be rather closed than open in their communications with him. Chapter 11: The most important attempt of all. Ulrich could dismiss his first two attempts and all the effort that went into it, but not the third. Musil writes about the application into daily life of certain principles, and how this comes to pass. Ulrich observes that engineering gives humans tremendous power over the world through the use of machines, but also enslaves mankind to those very same devices.

Chapter 12: Leona is supplanted by Bona Dea...or added. This new woman comes into Ulrich's life...