Project Gutenberg 2025-07-26 Public domain in the USA. 284 Wassermann, Jakob 1873 1934 Wassermann, Jacob Die Masken Erwin Reiners : $b Roman $aBerlin :$bS. Fischer Verlag, $c1910. Markus Brenner, Martin Oswald and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net "Die Masken Erwin Reiners : Roman" by Jakob Wassermann is a novel written in the early 20th century. It appears to be a psychological and social study set in Vienna, following the delicate young scientist Manfred Dalcroze, his steadfast beloved Virginia, and his brilliant, wealthy friend Erwin Reiner, whose charisma and restlessness unsettle their bond. The book probes friendship, desire, class, and the deceptive “masks” people wear. The opening of the novel follows Manfred, ordered to spend two years at sea to heal his lungs, as he secures a berth on a deep-sea expedition and asks his admired friend Erwin to watch over Virginia in his absence. We see Manfred’s earnest love, Virginia’s cautious integrity, and the couple’s modest circumstances, set against Erwin’s opulent, disciplined, and worldlier life. A private confession from Virginia’s mother reveals Virginia’s illegitimate birth, deepening Manfred’s tenderness and anxiety. Before departure, Manfred shows Erwin Virginia’s photograph; Erwin is struck, and promises solemnly to protect her. After a restrained first meeting, Manfred leaves by train, and Erwin tactfully steps in—offering Virginia a ride, visiting regularly, and channeling her faltering art studies into a serious school, then guiding her through galleries and a fashionable exhibition. Virginia is both drawn and unsettled by Erwin’s magnetic presence and blunt cynicism about society and love, while he hints at jealousy over Manfred’s devotion. The excerpt closes with Erwin confiding how Manfred became his true friend and how that bond shapes his stance toward Virginia. (This is an automatically generated summary.) 20080426065751wassermann 1910 DE Reading ease score: 81.5 (6th grade). Easy to read. de German fiction -- 20th century PT Text Category: Novels Category: German Literature 657857 2025-07-30T08:44:27.077140 text/html 632234 2025-07-26T07:50:24 text/html 648003 2025-07-30T08:44:36.141138 application/epub+zip 645384 2025-07-30T08:44:29.303133 application/epub+zip 412341 2025-07-30T08:44:28.191139 application/epub+zip 1115677 2025-07-30T08:44:41.758117 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 1069351 2025-07-30T08:44:35.279129 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 607429 2025-07-30T08:44:26.073188 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 587603 2025-07-26T07:50:24 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 13887 2025-07-30T08:44:41.905093 application/rdf+xml 17793 2025-07-30T08:44:28.447190 image/jpeg 2627 2025-07-30T08:44:28.316136 image/jpeg 643652 2025-07-30T08:44:27.172185 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia de.wikipedia