▁narr ator ' s ▁historical ▁situation , ▁the ▁progress ▁of ▁Le verk ü hn ' s ▁mad ness , ▁and ▁the ▁medieval ▁leg ends ▁with ▁which ▁Le verk ü hn ▁cons ci ously ▁connect s ▁himself ▁makes ▁for ▁an ▁over wh el ming ly ▁rich ▁symbol ic ▁network , ▁an ▁ambigu ous ▁complexity ▁that ▁cannot ▁be ▁reduced ▁to ▁a ▁single ▁interpretation . ▁ ▁Plot ▁The ▁orig ins ▁of ▁the ▁narr ator ▁and ▁the ▁hero ▁in ▁the ▁fict it ious ▁small ▁town ▁of ▁Kais ers as ch ern ▁on ▁the ▁Sa ale , ▁the ▁name ▁of ▁Zeit bl om ' s ▁ap othe c ary ▁father , ▁W ohl gem ut , ▁and ▁the ▁description ▁of ▁Ad rian ▁Le verk ü hn ▁as ▁an ▁old - f ashion ed ▁German ▁type , ▁with ▁a ▁cast ▁of ▁features ▁" from ▁a ▁time ▁before ▁the ▁Th irty ▁Years ' ▁War ", ▁e voke ▁the ▁old ▁post - med ieval ▁Germany . ▁In ▁their ▁respective ▁Catholic ▁and ▁Luther an ▁orig ins , ▁and ▁the ological ▁studies , ▁they ▁are ▁he irs ▁to ▁the ▁German ▁Renaissance ▁and ▁the ▁world ▁of ▁D ür er ▁and ▁Bach , ▁but ▁sympath etic ▁to , ▁and ▁adm ired ▁by , ▁the ▁" ke en - sc ented ▁re cept ivity ▁of ▁Jewish ▁circles ". ▁ ▁They ▁are ▁aw ak ened ▁to ▁musical ▁knowledge ▁by ▁Wend ell ▁K ret z sch mar , ▁a ▁German ▁American ▁lect urer ▁and ▁music ologist ▁who ▁vis its ▁Kais ers as ch ern . ▁After ▁school ing