(1903), Thomas Mann’s first fully developed
Künstlernovelle(artist novella), was originally rejected by the
Neue Deutsche Rundschauas unsuitable for publication, but was later published by Samuel Fischer. In a letter of 13 February 1901 Mann wrote to his brother Heinrich announcing “
Eine Burleske, die ich in Arbeit habe, und die wahrscheinlich ‘Tristan’ heissen wird” [“A burlesque I am working on, which will probably be called ‘Tristan’“]. This “burlesque“ novella shares with
Der kleine Herr Friedemann[
Little Herr Friedemann] the theme of the artist struggling for a means of self-expression, a fascination with music, notably the “Liebestod” motif adopted from Act III of Richard Wagner’s
Tristan und Isolde[
Tristan and Isolde, 1872], and a love…
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Citation: Gallagher, David. "Tristan". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 October 2007 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=12338, accessed 21 November 2024.]