''Beneath the Wheel'' (''Unterm Rad'') is a 1906 novel written by
Hermann Hesse
Hermann Karl Hesse (; 2 July 1877 – 9 August 1962) was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. His best-known works include ''Demian'', ''Steppenwolf (novel), Steppenwolf'', ''Siddhartha (novel), Siddhartha'', and ''The Glass Bead Game'', ...
. In 1957 it was reissued as ''The Prodigy'', in the
Peter Owen Publishers translation.
It severely criticizes education that focuses only on students' academic performance, and in that respect is typical of Hesse. There are also autobiographical elements in the story, as he attended and was expelled from the seminary described.
Plot summary
''Beneath the Wheel'' is the story of Hans Giebenrath, a talented boy sent to a
seminary in Maulbronn. His education is focused completely on increasing his knowledge, and neglects personal development. His close friendship with Hermann Heilner, a more liberal fellow student, is a source of comfort for Hans. Heilner is expelled from the seminary, and Giebenrath is sent home after his academic performance decreases in tandem with the onset of symptoms of mental illness.
Back home, he finds coping with his situation difficult, having lost most of his childhood to scholastic study, and thus having never formed lasting personal relationships with anyone in his village. He is apprenticed as a mechanic, and seems to find satisfaction in the work; it is visceral and concrete, as opposed to the intellectual abstraction of scholarly pursuit. Despite some personal fulfillment in his existence, Hans never fully adjusts to his new situation. On a
pub crawl in a neighbouring village, he and his colleagues get drunk. Giebenrath leaves the group to walk home early. Later, he is found to have drowned in a river.
References in other media
''Beneath the Wheel'' has been referenced in other media.
* The
crossover thrash
Crossover thrash (often abbreviated to crossover) is a fusion genre of thrash metal and hardcore punk. The genre lies on a continuum between heavy metal and hardcore punk. Other genres on the same continuum, such as metalcore and grindcore, ma ...
band
D.R.I.'s 1989 album
Thrash Zone
''Thrash Zone'' is the fifth album by the American crossover thrash band D.R.I., released in 1989. It continues the thrash metal style of the previous album, ''4 of a Kind''. ''Thrash Zone'' was D.R.I.'s most successful album to date, and prod ...
references ''Beneath the Wheel'' on the song "Beneath the Wheel."
See also
*
Bildungsroman
In literary criticism, a ''Bildungsroman'' (, plural ''Bildungsromane'', ) is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from childhood to adulthood ( coming of age), in which character change is impo ...
References
1906 German novels
Novels by Hermann Hesse
Novels set in Germany
Novels set in schools
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