Narcissus and Goldmund Author:Herman Hesse Narcissus and Goldmund is the story of a young man, Goldmund, who wanders around aimlessly throughout Medieval Germany after leaving a Catholic monastery school in search of what could be described as "the meaning of life", or rather, meaning for his life. Narcissus, a gifted young teacher at the cloister school, quickly makes friends with Goldm... more »und, as they are only a few years apart, and Goldmund is naturally bright. Goldmund looks up to Narcissus, and Narcissus has much fondness for him in return. After straying too far in the fields one day, on an errand gathering herbs, Goldmund comes across a beautiful woman, who kisses him and invites him to make love. This encounter becomes his epiphany, and he then knows he was never meant to be a monk. Goldmund is filled with the desire to experience everything, learn about life and nature in his own hands-on way. With Narcissus? support, he leaves the monastery and wanders around the countryside, setting the scene for a story that contrasts the artist with the thinker, Dionysian and Apollonian. It spans many years, detailing specific incidents where Goldmund learns important things, and he often muses on these experiences and the ways of life.« less
Herman Hesse is a masterful writer, and Narcissus and Goldmund is no exception. The story is about two very different men living in the Middle Ages, and the connection and contrast between them.