'La Rosenstiel' and her Ilk: Jewish Names in Thomas Mann

Abstract

Mann's portrait of Ida Herz, Kunigunde Rosenstiel in Doctor Faustus, is the last character whom he explicitly denominates as Jewish. It is precisely her explicit denomination that places 'la Rosenstiel' in stark contrast to earlier Jewish characters. Their Jewish identity was usually not addressed as such. This was part of an experimental protocol. The experiment in which the earlier texts offered to engage consisted in invitations to identify 'the' Jew. In this regard the namings of Jewish characters were of crucial importance. The significance of 'Jewish' names was left to be deduced by the readers themselves. This detective game met their desire to recognize 'the' Jew under the circumstances of his virtually perfect assimilation.