When examining Steppenwolf, it is beneficial to consider the traits of Surrealism, noting that the term originates from French and implies "beyond Realism." It's crucial to distinguish it from Expressionism, which lacks objective reality, whereas Surrealism alters reality and often incorporates subconscious elements.

1. Are the surreal elements in this novel overly intense? Would the narrative improve if Hesse had toned down the Magic Theatre sections?

2. In a 1932 letter to a reader, Herman Hesse stated, "There is no form without faith, and there is no faith without previous despair, without previous (and also subsequent) acquaintance with chaos." Does this statement shed light on the underlying thoughts and beliefs in Steppenwolf?

3. In the foreword to the 1942 edition of the novel, Hesse claimed that the suffering in the text leads "not... to death, not a decline, but the opposite: a healing." However, critic Boulby asserted that the "resolution we are offered is... spurious." Which of these contrasting perspectives aligns more closely with the novel's conclusion?

4. Hesse penned Steppenwolf during 1926-27, a period when he was deeply unhappy. In a letter to his nephew in January 1926, he wrote, "I'm living, in so far as I'm living at all, in a pressing and living, romantic and magic dream." Does the term "romantic dream" accurately describe the novel? Does Hesse's mindset sufficiently explain its peculiar aspects?

5. Which moment in Harry Haller's peculiar journey is most pivotal to his growth (assuming his "progress" can be seen as development)? Why is this part thematically important?

6. Do the characters Hermine and Pablo offer any semblance of reality despite their odd behavior and evident symbolic roles? Could—and should—the author have done more to make them more "believable"?

7. A document titled the Literary Advisor for German Catholics once claimed that this novel was "a venomous, dangerous confusion, venomous in its unbridled sensuality, dangerous in its radical and caustic negation of all values of life...." Do you agree with this assessment? Is it accurate, or does it stem from a misinterpretation of the novel?

8. Do Hesse's humorous attempts (such as when Harry Haller observes that the character of Moses in a biblical film resembles the poet Walt Whitman) enhance the thematic depth of the story, or do they detract from the novel's generally serious tone?

9. Literary critic Ziolkowski considers Steppenwolf, along with The Glass Bead Game, to be "among the significant literary documents of the twentieth century, and in form, it is the most elaborate and boldest of Hesse's works." Do you concur or disagree? What arguments can be made to support this view?