The Habsburg capital is on the cusp of modernity, its cosmopolitan mix of nationalities, and the dangerous new notions propagated by Sigmund Freud are evocatively pictured.

• 在这里，各民族混杂而居，加上弗洛伊德宣扬的心理学理论，各类危险的新思潮迭起。小说对所有这些内容的描述，唤醒了人们对那个时代的记忆。