“I’m scared, I’m scared everywhere.” The regimental surgeon spread out his arms, shrugged, and said, “You too are a grandson. With a breadth and richness that draws comparison to Tolstoy, it encompasses the entire social fabric of Austro-Hungarian society.

“Our grandfathers did not bequeath us great strength-little strength for life, it’s just barely enough to die senselessly.” The Radetzky March, Joseph Roth’s classic novel of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, follows three generations of the privileged von Trotta family as Europe advances inexorably toward World War I. Would you attribute the dissipation of the Trottas over three generations to their entanglement in the declining empire of which they are a part? or to the characters of the three men? or to particular family dynamics? To what extent can you separate those factors?ĭoes Roth’s portrayal of the plight of the third generation resonate outside the particular circumstances of the decline of the Austro-Hungarian Empire? Consider conversations like this between Trotta3 and Dr. Is the particular reason for Trotta1’s elevation important to the meaning of the book or the trajectory of his family’s decline? How about his rage over being misrepresented in the schoolbook? What is the relationship between portraits and their subjects: Trotta1 and the portrait painted by his son’s friend? The Kaiser himself and his ubiquitous likeness - or particular copies of that likeness? What about Trotta1 and the misleading historical portrait in the children’s reader that sets him off? THE RADETSKY MARCH is subtle and touching study of family life at the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It is generally considered to be Roths best. How do the Radetzky March (the piece of music) and the portrait of the Kaiser function as recurring symbols through the course of the book? Roths masterpiece: an epic, moving account of the final days of the Austro-Hungarian empire, told through the fortunes of one family. With four different English editions, you can tell that this is an important novel.

The radetzky march book