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I turbamenti del giovane Törless, the cover of this edition

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Trama e riassunto di I turbamenti del giovane Törless

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A chi è rivolto

This is for readers who love schoolyard stories with real shadows, close studies of a teenage mind, and novels where scenes of power sit beside quiet questions about thought and feeling.

Che cos’è questo libro

A boy watches his parents' train pull away, then walks back through the dust toward a school where a bell cuts every day like a knife. What does he do with a hunger he cannot name?

The Confusions of Young Törleß is the first novel of Robert Musil, published in 1906. Musil drew on his own schooling and writes about a boarding school in the Austrian empire with a calm, exact eye. Törleß is a bright, restless student who longs for something real inside himself. He finds instead a circle of boys who like power, secrets and cruelty, and a classmate named Basini who falls into their hands.

In questo riassunto

  1. 1A homesickness that is not what it seemsFree
  2. 2Törleß drifts toward the wildest boys
  3. 3A visit to Božena stirs dark thoughts
  4. 4Reiting catches a thief named Basini
  5. 5Beineberg wants Basini for his soul
  6. 6The sky, imaginary numbers and a professor
  7. 7Alone with Basini, and a failed experiment
  8. 8How power and cruelty grow among the young
  9. 9Two ways of seeing, and living thoughts
  10. 10How Musil tells the story

Punto chiave 1 di 10

A homesickness that is not what it seems

The book opens at a small railway station. Törleß, the only child of a court councilor, sees his parents off after a visit. His mother hides her red eyes behind a veil. The school stands far from the capital, and the sons of the best families study here. Törleß had begged to come, and then the gate closed behind him and a violent homesickness struck him.

Nearly every day he sends letters home. Yet Musil makes clear that the longing is not truly for his parents. Their image fades quickly, and what remains is a burning pain that he almost enjoys, like a private ritual. When it ends, he feels empty.

Then comes a friendship with Prince H., a gentle and devout boy. One argument about religion ends it, when Törleß lets his reason attack the prince like a wooden ruler smashing fine lace. Afterward everything turns dull, and puberty begins to stir. A feeling can wear a false name, and the boy who mistakes hunger for homesickness has only begun to ask what he wants.

That’s 1 of 10 key points.

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About this edition

Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.

  • LengthAbout 52,100 words
  • Reading timeAbout 3 h 40 min

Questions about I turbamenti del giovane Törless

What is The Confusions of Young Törleß about?

It is about a thoughtful student at a remote boarding school who watches classmates torment a boy named Basini. Törleß is drawn into the cruelty by curiosity and tries to understand strange feelings he cannot explain.

Is The Confusions of Young Törleß based on a true story?

It is a novel, but Robert Musil drew on his own years at military boarding schools. It was published in 1906 and is his first book of fiction.

Who are Beineberg and Reiting?

They are Törleß's older, stronger friends. Beineberg is a baron obsessed with Indian mysticism and the soul, while Reiting is a charming schemer who loves to control people and dreams of power.

What is the main message of the book?

The book shows how young people can slip into cruelty and how a clear explanation can miss what a person truly feels. It asks how reason and inner feeling fit together.

Is The Confusions of Young Törleß easy to follow?

The story moves through clear scenes with lively dialogue, and short sections that alternate action and reflection. Strong images such as the red room, the attic and the river road make each stage easy to picture.

Cite this edition

Musil, Robert. The Confusions of Young Törless. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-confusions-of-young-torless.

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