The Metropolis and Mental Life

by Matthew Wilsey Although Georg Simmel’s “The Metropolis and Mental Life” is a short work, its impact has been profound. Georg Simmel was born on March 1, 1858 in what is now the middle of downtown Berlin.[1] Simmel’s proximity to the metropolis was certainly consequential, as the effects of such an upbringing are reflected in… Continue Reading The Metropolis and Mental Life

Tonio Kröger

by Brad Rathe Tonio Kröger is a novella written by Thomas Mann in his early period and published in 1903. In it, Mann addresses the theme of the separation of the world of art from that of everyday life, as well as where the artist stands between the two. The largely autobiographical story traces key… Continue Reading Tonio Kröger

Man and Superman

by Pericles Lewis George Bernard Shaw‘s play Man and Superman revolves around a typical Shavian love plot: the orphaned Ann Whitefield wants to marry her youthful guardian Jack Tanner, despite his reputation as a revolutionist (Shaw published the “revolutionist’s handbook” ostensibly written by Tanner in the printed version of the play).  She pursues him to… Continue Reading Man and Superman

The Ambassadors

by Michaela Bronstein The Ambassadors was the first written (1900–1901), but second published (1903), of the three major works with which Henry James concluded his career as a novelist. Like The Wings of the Dove and The Golden Bowl, it treats Americans abroad in Europe, and like those novels it relies on careful choice of… Continue Reading The Ambassadors