Der Untergeher (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Thomas Bernhard
- First Published: 1983
- Type of Work: Fiction
- Type of Plot: Psychological
- Time of Work: 1981
- Setting: Wankham, a village in Upper Austria
- Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction, Bildungsroman, Autobiographical fiction
- Subjects: Music or musicians, 1980’s, Obsession, Pianos or pianists, Austria or Austrians, Biography, Switzerland or Swiss people, Perfectionism
- Locales: Austria
Characters Discussed
The narrator, an Austrian writer and former pianist from a well-to-do family, suffering from pulmonary disease. As the novel begins, the narrator has just attended the funeral of Wertheimer, one of his two best friends. He stops on the spur of the moment at an inn in the vicinity of his deceased friend’s hunting lodge in Upper Austria. Feeling lonely, vulnerable, and somewhat guilty because of his recent neglect of Wertheimer, the narrator attempts to come to terms with his friend’s suicide. This attempt leads him to explore the lifelong friendship and...
[The entire page is 1224 words long]
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