Update on this: I finished reading it, I really had to battle through. The prose never got better, jarring is probably still the best word to describe it. How Döblin structures sentences, makes up words or uses them in a completely false context is just awkward, I didn’t like it, I guess, expressionist prose just isn’t for me, but I’ll steer clear of Döblin in the future.Not all was bad though, the book also had some impressive vivid scenes of religious ecstasy, communal festivities and especially gory battle scenes. If you’re into Taoism, it’s also interesting, although I didn’t really understand why the protagonist (Wang-lun) did what he did most of the time. If you’re into 18th century China, go for it.
