The Zeitgeist of Europe

The word zeitgeist is a word of German origin, which roughly means the "spirit of the time". This phrase is perfectly suited for the novel in question, where Zweig gives the reader both an intellectual view of the collective mindset of Europe during the pre-war years, as well as an eventual portrait of the less fortunate in the world, that he had previously shortchanged, during World War É. The stark contrast between these two separate worlds is the essence of the novel because it mirrors the travels that Zweig himself goes through before, during, and after the war.

The pre-war period was a time of great optimism and idealism in Europe. This was a time when members of various different counties would give themselves the label of Europeans, as nationalism as a way of thinking would not come to a head until the days leading up to the outbreak of the war. The cities of Europe were singular cities that in many circumstances carried a unique example independent of the respective countries that they were located in. This was specifically evident where Zweig recalls his love affair with the city of Paris, as the thoughts of the occupation of the city was imminent as he was writing. He spoke of the people who lived there; that a simple labor worker was able to feel as free as the employer who might benefit off of this labor. He saw all of the history of the French state in its walls that existed in 1904 as well as from the past centuries. His discussions of these romanticizing points were a metaphor for the world and mindset that would be lost once the First World War had broken out. A similar discussion of his home city of Vienna, Austria also appears, which is in stark contrast to what his experiences would be when he traveled to India.