10 - Ulrich and Agathe

Summary

Ulrich falls in love

Having been informed of the death of his father, Ulrich returns to the family home in a provincial town. Here he meets his sister, Agathe, with whom he has not been in close touch since childhood. They spend some time together and become inseparable. Part III of The Man without Qualities is concerned to a large extent with their love which is placed in a mystical context to which Musil's title for Part III refers: ‘Ins Tausendjährige Reich’ (‘Into the Millennium’). Let us set aside for a moment the question of the incestuous nature of their relationship and consider it as if it were a normal heterosexual affair, for, as we shall see, it is not unreasonable to see it in such a light.

Reflecting the change in Ulrich, the tempo of the narrative slows considerably. Brother and sister withdraw from the world outside, establishing an almost monastic routine of reading, meditative walks in the garden and intense discussion. Ulrich's life has become quite different from life in Vienna with its countless interruptions: Bonadea knocking at the door, Stumm ringing up for advice, meetings with Fischel, and the round of ‘Parallelaktion’ chores. The simplicity of life devoid of such external pressures allows Ulrich to focus his attention entirely on the feelings which are stirred by Agathe's presence. Take the following passage in which Musil describes the effect on Ulrich of touching his sister.