Doctor Claudius, A True Story

"Doctor Claudius, A True Story" by F. Marion Crawford is a tale fixed in the late 19th century, it spins around Dr. Claudius, a Swedish mathematician nestled in Heidelberg, who finds himself wrestling with deep questions about life, isolation, and if his studies really mean anything. As he thinks about his life, Claudius suddenly gets a huge amount of money from his uncle who just died, and this makes his already thoughtful life even more complicated. The story starts by showing Dr. Claudius thinking about how lonely he is and how he's getting older, all while he's surrounded by his school things. He seems like someone who likes to be alone, spending a lot of time studying but feeling more and more cut off from everyone else. The start also talks about a letter when he finds out he's getting a lot of money, making Claudius think about what that really means. Through the people he talks to and the ideas about a mysterious woman he sees around the castle, we can see how he's pulled in different directions because he wants to be friends with people but also likes being on his own. The way the story begins sets a tone of looking inward and asking big questions, like what is wealth for, does our life have a purpose, and how do people connect with each other, which will probably be discussed more as the novel goes on.