44. Doctor Faustus - chapter XLII

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In which the Wooing-by-Proxy plan goes surprisingly awry.

Poor Rudi really did his best under the circumstances, but it seems that his feelings for Marie were not entirely one sided. She was offended by his wooing for another, which, of course, gave him hopes for himself. Proving himself to be as good at this as Adrian had hoped, Rudi manages to dig himself out of the hole he dug himself into, only to find that, thanks to the way he began in Adrian’s behalf, he is wooing for her hand -- which was not exactly his original plan. Soon they are engaged. Rudi sends an explanatory letter to Adrian that is an emotional blow to him, though he takes it as a lesson learned. What’s more, Rudi decides to abandon Munich for Paris. In his status as Konzertmeister for the Zapfenstosser orchestra, Rudi gives his farewell performance (Meistersinger) before departing Bavaria to join his betrothed in Paris. Alas, after the concert half the characters in the book find themselves (all independently) on the same tram with Rudi sitting across from the heartbroken (and drug-addled) Inez who empties a pistol into him.  He dies. Zeitblom helps care for him until the ambulance arrives and then goes to the Institoris house to inform “the little husband” who responds with:

p450 ”So then,” he said, “it came like that.” And it was clear that his dread had concerned chiefly the manner in which the inevitable tragedy would be consummated.

“I will go to her,” he declared, and stood up again. “I hope they will let me speak to her there” (he meant at the police cells).

After thorough consideration, Zeitblom decides not to telephone Adrian in the middle of the night with this news.

Again, I can’t recall so much plot in a chapter or two -- even an entire book -- by Thomas Mann. I can’t believe that Mann would include all this just for the romance. My previous attempt to match this up with Anna K was not at all successful... so let’s try it again.

Helmut is a pretty good Karenin -- aside from our having no real idea what’s happening in his head. Inez has a few things in common with Anna but also (as the seducer) with Vronsky. Rudi is most like Oblonsky in that the boy just wants to have fun.

Helmut’s wooing of Inez inadvertently sets the affair between her and Rudi going. Adrian’s wooing by proxy of Marie inadvertently turns Rudi into a Benedict. One might wonder if Mephisto was involved, but Adrian seems to have done Mephisto’s job for him, in keeping his life as cold as possible.

Could there be some bourgeois symbolism in all this ending on a tram rather than under a train? If so he is too deep for me.

Perhaps there is another shoe still to drop...


I also just noticed that there is some significance (surprise!) behind the name "Institoris." This from Wiki,

Heinrich Kramer (c. 1430 – 1505), also known under the Latinized name Henricus Institor,[1][2] was a German churchman and inquisitor...

At some date before 1474 he was appointed Inquisitor for the Tyrol, Salzburg, Bohemia and Moravia. His eloquence in the pulpit and tireless activity received recognition at Rome and he was the right-hand man of the Archbishop of Salzburg. By the time of the Bull Summis desiderantes of Pope Innocent VIII in 1484 he was already associated with Jacob Sprenger to make an inquisition for witches and sorcerers. In 1485 he drew up a treatise on witchcraft which was incorporated in the Malleus Maleficarum (literally "The Hammer of Witches").

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