> an upstanding burgher obsessed with death and corruption

I assume "burgher" is a misspelling of German "Bürger"? There are "Burgher people" but Thomas Mann doesn't seem to be one of them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burgher_people

▲ cyberlimerence 4 days ago | parent | next [-]

It's correct in English. [1] The family of Thomas Mann were representatives of German bourgeoisie. From [2] (machine translated): "Thomas Mann and Heinrich Mann, as well as members of the following generation, became writers; in their numerous, often autobiographically influenced literary works, they explored themes such as the history of the German bourgeoisie and educated middle class, as well as its decadence. Through this, the family itself came to be seen by the public as a symbol and late representative of that very social stratum."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burgher_(social_class) [1]

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mann_(Familie) [2]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bildungsb%C3%BCrgertum

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%BCrgertum

▲ Archelaos 4 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

From the Merriam-Webster dictionary:

  burgher noun
  ...
  1: an inhabitant of a borough or a town
  2: a member of the middle class : a prosperous solid citizen

Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/burgher

▲ auggierose 4 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

In German it is called "Bürger", yes. Burgher is some weird English spelling of the original french one, and I don't think it applies in any reasonable way to Thomas Mann. In German it really just means "Citizen".

▲ rubberpoliceman 4 days ago | parent [-]

> In German it really just means "Citizen".

It most definitely does not — it’s both “citoyen” and “bourgeois”.

▲ auggierose 4 days ago | parent [-]

Thomas Mann was German, so he most definitely was not a "burgher", he was just a "Bürger". And the German "Bürger" is just "citizen" in English.

▲ ffuxlpff 4 days ago | parent | next [-]

It meant an upper middle class urban citizen, while "Kleinbürger" was their lower middle class counterpart. Buddenbrooks was all about Bürgers, their history and lifestyle. Mann was a member of that class or even of its upper crust, the patricians.

▲ rubberpoliceman 4 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

This isn’t hard to understand. “Burgher” is a perfectly legitimate translation of “Bürger” as in “bürgerlicher Mittagstisch”, “Der Bürger duldet nichts Unverständliches im Haus”. “Citizen” is a perfectly legitimate translation of “Bürger” when it comes to “Bürgeramt” or “Weltbürger”.

▲ auggierose 4 days ago | parent [-]

Well, Bürger means citizen, and bürgerlich means middle-class. Indeed, not hard to understand.

▲ rubberpoliceman 4 days ago | parent | next [-]

Excellent. Now do “bürgerliches Gesetzbuch”.

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eru 4 days ago | parent | next [-]

The trolling of auggierose aside, whatever the bürgerliches Gesetzbuch might literally translate to, it is a triumph of the burghers, the bourgeoisie.

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auggierose 4 days ago | parent | prev [-]

Law that applies only to the middle-class. Duh.

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lukan 4 days ago | parent [-]

But you do know it applies to everyone in germany?

	▲	Towaway69 3 days ago \| parent [-]
		Cynicism is punishment looking for a crime.

▲ eru 4 days ago | parent | prev [-]

Please tell me you are trolling?

https://de.wiktionary.org/wiki/B%C3%BCrger says:

Bedeutungen:

    [1a] Einwohner einer Gemeinde
    [1b] Angehöriger eines Staates
    [2] Angehöriger der Mittelschicht, des Bürgertums

▲ eru 4 days ago | parent | prev [-]

Did you know that some words have multiple meanings?

See eg https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gro%C3%9Fb%C3%BCrger or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Burgher or https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kleinb%C3%BCrger

▲ nephihaha 3 days ago | parent | prev [-]

"Burgher" certainly meant that in traditional Scots usage.