"This is freedom. It is a winter thing that cannot be tolerated for long. In it one must constantly move, as we do now. In freedom one must dance, it is cold and beautiful. But do not fall in love with it, because this will make you very sad later. A person only exists in the areas of freedom for moments, and no more. We have crossed the limit now. Look at the wonderful path on which we are skating, how it is slowly dissolving. You can now see freedom dying. When you open your eyes, this will be a haunting scene The heart is yours many times.” ***** Walser treats language in this novel with as much respect as one would treat a revered and close friend at the same time. Hermann Hesse "Jacob von Gonten" involves a kind of parody of the traditional educational novel. Christopher Middleton