Auto-da-Fé, Elias Canetti’s inaugural novel, is a staggering exploration of madness and the human condition, painted with a brush of both satire and tragedy. Originally conceived as the first in a series of novels exploring diverse monomanias, Canetti in this work examines the suffocating isolation of the intellect amidst a society teetering on the brink of insanity. This literary piece, marked by its Kafkaesque influences and darkly comedic overtones, probes themes of alienation and the self-destructive nature of obsessive scholarship.

Conceptual Origins and Ambitions

Canetti’s earliest draft of the novel began in 1931, with grand ambitions of crafting an eight-volume series entitled a modern comédie humaine. Inspired by the view from his window of the Steinhof asylum, Canetti envisioned a typology of the era's madness, each novel dissecting a different obsession: from religious and technological fanaticism to bibliomania and truth obsession. This work was to illuminate the insanity underlying contemporary society's facade. Despite these lofty goals, only Auto-da-Fé and possibly another novel were completed, as Canetti's interest gravitated toward nonfiction, ultimately culminating in his renowned work, Crowds and Power.

The Protagonist and His World

In Auto-da-Fé, we encounter Peter Kien, an ascetic scholar and "library owner" whose reclusive life revolves solely around his extensive collection of books. This erudite philologist and sinologist leads a "head without a world," utterly detached from human engagement. Kien’s intellectual fortress eventually crumbles under the manipulative influence of his housekeeper-turned-wife, Therese, who embodies greed and amorality, perpetuating Kien's descent into societal and personal chaos. The narrative follows Kien’s degradation from the intellectual paradise of his library to the societal underbelly, a world he deems devoid of reason.

The Descent into Madness

Kien’s journey is further marred by Therese’s malevolent machinations, in tandem with Fischerle, a chess-playing hunchback, and Pfaff, a philistine janitor. They exploit Kien’s vulnerabilities, further dismantling his reality through cruel and comic stratagems, including the pawning of his precious books. These characters represent the brutal, practical forces of modernity that crush Kien’s "pure" intellect. His ultimate retreat into madness culminates in an apocalyptic self-immolation amidst the flames of his beloved tomes, a haunting image that echoes Canetti’s exploration of the self's destruction.

Canetti’s Narrative Craft

Written in a fervor reminiscent of Kraus’s dictum that "hatred must make a person productive," Auto-da-Fé is as much a political and social satire as it is an allegorical portrayal of societal illness. Through sardonic humor and grotesque characterizations, Canetti critiques the absurdities of a world that values brute force over intellectual purity. While the novel's tone is often dark, Canetti imbues it with a comic spirit, producing scenes that invite "thoughtful laughter" amidst a typology of madness. Bertha Keveson-Hertz identifies in Canetti’s work elements reminiscent of Swift's satire, Dickens' humor, and Proust's insulation.

Tragedy and Absence of Passion

Claudio Magris highlights the narrative's focus on the "missing life" and suppressed love, underscoring the tragedy of individuality's annihilation. In Canetti's portrayal, passion is conspicuously absent; paranoia reigns, stripping objects of their allure and rendering desires impotent. The novel eschews the erotic, instead suggesting that even the urge to join the crowd carries a form of sublimated sexual energy. His prose pulls readers into this oppressive atmosphere, using techniques like erlebte Rede, or interior monologue, to deeply engage with the warped psyches of the characters.

Literary Allusions and Influence

Canetti’s work is in dialogue with literary giants. It parallels Dante's Divine Comedy in its structural exploration of paradise, purgatory, and inferno. The narrative's magic circle of aberration challenges traditional storytelling, with Canetti refusing to restore order or pass judgment. Madness becomes the norm, with...