'between the life we live and the life we feel...there is the
invisible border, like a narrow gate'
Set in a boarding school in a remote area of the Habsburg Empire at the
turn of the last century, The Confusions of Young Torless is an
intense study of an adolescent's psychological development as he
struggles to come to terms with his conflicting emotions. Through his
relationship with two other boys Torless is led into sadistic and sexual
encounters with a third pupil which both repel and fascinate him.
Estranged from everyday life, Torless gradually learns to accept his
experiences and describe them with analytical precision.
The novel is based on the author's own experiences at an Austrian
military academy. A school story with a difference, Torless extends
the scope of fiction with its non-judgemental presentation of
transgressive sexuality and violence. It is a profoundly disturbing
exploration of a non-moral outlook on life and of dictatorial attitudes
that prefigure the outbreak of the First World War and the rise of
fascism.
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