"Death in Venice"

Paper Summary:

This paper examines Thomas Mann's "Death in Venice", which is about a fatal journey from north to south undertaken by German writer, Gustav von Aschenbach, who falls in love with a teenage boy, Tadzio. It discusses how it is often regarded as the first major gay novel, but to categorize this fascinating story in such a manner significantly limits its merits. It looks at how it explores the psychological influences of a magical city on a person who is running away from himself, of how forbidden love can transform the entire personality and soul, and how, despite being wise and sensible, we deliberately become victims of false enticement.

From the Paper:

"The character of Tadzio was also inspired by "an extremely attractive boy of about thirteen...whose appearance captivated my husband"- his wife recalled. (De Mendelssohn 871). Apart from the models, the entire ambience of Venice and plot of the story was also the result of inspiration. For example the plot was inspired by Mann's deep study of Goethe's life where he learned that at a very late stage in his life, Goethe had fallen in love with a young teenage girl. Some believe that Gustav Mahler served as inspiration for the character of Aschenbach, however nothing can be said with certainty in this regard because available sources have remained silent on this topic."

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