Spitzweg - E. Nickel

When I read a book in German all the finesses are lost on me, because I can’t be bothered looking up words I don’t know, and they are still too many, so I go over the page and try to get an idea of what is happening. The odds of the book being worth the additional analysis time are quite low, especially if the book did not go through the test of time yet, this one certainly did not. If the book did go through the test of time - say Also sprach Zarathustra - I still find it more practical to read in Italian or English and then look up the passages I find more interesting in German.

I do not disagree with the idea of the plot being there as a mere excuse and protagonists being used as mouthpieces or called from the backstage when a metaphor in action is needed or a bridge to the next point to be examined, some books of Kundera are completely like this, and I really like the technique in general, but I am afraid language was too much of a barrier. I also realized way too late that it was this kind of book. I would need to read it again, but I am not sure it would be worth it.