The phrase often used to describe Mann’s work is that they are “novels of ideas.” I always struggled with this description because I think every compelling novel is full of ideas, but in Mann’s case, I think the phrase is intended to signal a focus on the implications of events (what do events mean) rather than the sheer narrative excitement of the events themselves. In Mann’s work, the reader is asked to do more of the work of interpretation than in a plot-based novel, which is possibly why the narrative seems “lazy.”

Mann’s kind of novel isn’t for everyone, but there are too many wonderful books in the world to worry about that! For me, this has been a really worthwhile discussion because it’s allowed me to think through a term that has puzzled me for years. Cheers.