ABSTRACT
Hermann Hesse's novel Steppenwolf is a text of midlife in several ways: it lies midway in its author's publishing career, which spanned roughly the first half of the 20th century; also, the novel's protagonist is a man facing the anguished uncertainties both of middle age and of a social world-the Germany of the I920s-in transition. Despite the more obvious charm and serenity of some of Hesse's other narrative works, his reputation as a modernist writer is largely founded on Steppenwolf, which has received the most critical acclaim.
