Is the influence of Eastern thought in Hesse's novels greatly overstated? The East is the setting for two novels, Siddhartha and The Journey to the East, but Eastern thought is not incorporated into any of Hesse's central characters. They are introspective and very egocentric, similar to the protagonists created by Dostoevski, Turgenev, and Chekhov in 19th century Russian literature. By contrast, Eastern thought is observant, passive where Eastern spirituality is expressive from without, not internal as exercised within the Western mind. Yet, Wandering reflects the influence of the East very much. The prose, poetry and brush paintings are as oriental as Basho. The narrator is an observer of nature who responds to the surroundings as a part of the whole. In summnation, "Sit down anywhere you like, on a wall, a stone, a tree stump, on the grass or the earth: everywhere they surround you, a painting and a poem, everywhere the world resonates beautifully and happily around you." I'd like to read other opinions, particulary from those who disagree.

Well, I partly agree on your opinion. But don't you think that your division of estern thought and western thought is too standardized ? It's very hard to define only one individual's personality and thought. Moreover, I think it's impossible to stipulate like this: eastern thought is passive or something and western thought is not. What about remember that this world is made up of incredibly divers values and myriad of people? All the people in Asia is like this; All in West, like that. I think, it could be absurd.


However, Fundamentally, I partly comprehend with your opinion.

Thank you. I hope it was not rude ^o^

I can*t agree with you. The influence of eastern thought to the work of Hesse could not be overstated. From the asian thought, namely the chinese Taoism, the Book of Changes (I ching) and the Zen-Buddhism Hesse got the main impulse to his philosophy, and this is evident in many works. Namely the "Glasperlenspiel" is influenced of this through and through. The Musikmeister is a very "chinese" person, although there never is given directly an allusion to china. The old Vasudeva in "Siddharta" is a personification of the chinese philosopher Lao tzu. The well-known poem "Stufen" is based on the philosophy of the Book of Changes, and so on.
It is not true to name the eastern thought as passive. Hesse himself emphasized that the indian thought is passiv, the chinese thought however is an active thought, which looks positive to life.
Therefore the east-asian, chinese thought did draw Hesse during his whole life, and i think his main merit is to have "translated" this eastern thought in western literature.

Thankyou Leo and Jurgen for your thought provoking responses. Jurgen, I'm surprised you didn't make mention of the Elder Brother in Das Glasperlenspiel to support your position. You both influenced me slightly, but not fully. In Hesse's 1947 letter To a Young Colleague in Japan (If the War Goes On; Bantam edition, 1976)he writes "Your Zen, I feel confident, will protect you against such exoticism and false idealism, just as the good school of classical antiquity and Christianity forbids me to turn my back, in despair at our spiritual situation, on the tradition that has thus far sustained me and to throw myself into the arms of some Indian or other system of Yoga. For at times, I cannot deny, there is such a temptation. But, despite all the magic of Oriental disciplines, my European education teaches me to distrust those aspects of them that I do not understand or only half understand and to confine myself to that part of them which I have really succeeded in understanding. And that part is closely related to the teachings and experience of my own spiritual home."
Perhaps Hesse understood more than he gave himself credit for. Much of that "exotic" Eastern Thought could be buried in his subconscious only to surface in his writing. Or as Hesse's conclusion and Leo's suggestion: sometimes the experience is interrelated as East-West.
Once again, thanks for your input, I read both of your comments a few times.

I agree Tony. The Journey to the 'East' takes place in europe, Hesse called Siddhartha a 'Christian book' and was a bit dismayed that no one picked up on this; his rebellion against goign through the seminary is generally emphasized, while his connection to the Christian tradition generally downplayed.

Barry