Abstract
This paper analyzes "Death in Venice" by Thomas Mann's with an emphasis of how the book and characters parallel the writer's own life experience.

From the Paper
"This second critic notes Mann's use of this method he called "myth plus psychology" which plots Aschenbach's descent into a chaotic heap where both myth and psychology play equally important roles. (SparkNotes) He describes the idolized Tadzio mythically in the same level and manner as Greek sculpture, the god of love, Hyacint and Narcissus and Plato's character Phaedrus. He also likens Aschenbach's cruise into a lagoon in Venice to that across the River Styx in the Underworld, where strange red-haired figures appear and reappear to Aschenbach to symbolize demons, probably also the furies of his moral conscience. As to the psychology part, Aschenbach always has a firm control and repression of his libido through the years of maturity. But this undue control and denial of something vibrant and powerful underneath merely leads such force to show up in other and indirect ways, per Freudian explanations. These indirect expressions include intense dreams and visions and the worship of a strange god. (SparkNotes) Moreover, this "orgiastic worship" of the strange god (SparkNotes) is likely an epitomizing of the Freudian desire to ultimately abandon oneself to such longing in and through death."

Tags:homosexuality, mahler, novella, gondolas, nobel, prize

From the Paper
"This study will compare and contrast two works by Thomas Mann ---"Death in Venice" and "Tonio Kruger "--- in terms of the author's treatment of the quest of the artist. Specifically, the study will focus on the different ways the two artists in the stories think of, feel about, and interact with the "outside" characters --- the unsophisticated, blonde, blue-eyed figures of infatuation. For both artists, these characters have great importance, both personally and artistically, as they attempt to formulate ideas about the relationship between art and life. The essence of the difference between the two tales is found in the ultimate isolation of Aschenbach from other human beings as a result of his quest for beauty, as opposed to the ultimate embracing of others on the part of Tonio as a result of his.

Tonio seeks knowledge of the world in order to come to an ... "

From the Paper
"Thomas Mann was an important novelist and social commentator, and his book Reflections of a Nonpolitical Man shows these traits as well as a personal side to the man as he argues against his brother's pacifism in World War I. Mann would change his views about how Germany should behave toward the rest of the world as he saw the rise of fascism, and he would become a spokesman for liberal democracy. In this book, he shows the reader his doubts and concerns about his country, its place in the world, his brother and the latter's attitude, and other matters related to the impending crisis in Europe. The book shows much about the writer as well as giving a strong portrait of the political and social ferment of the time.

As Walter D. Morris, editor and translator, notes in the Introduction, Thomas Mann showed little interest in politics.."

Tags:BOOK, REVIEWS, (NON-FICTION)

Abstract
This paper analyzes Thomas Mann's novella "Death in Venice" and discusses the plot line and the moral decline of the protagonist. It also looks at major characters, references to ancient Greece and the symbolism of the book.

From the Paper
"In Thomas Mann's novella Death in Venice, the aging protagonist Gustav von Aschenbach is symbolic of the pursuit of aesthetic beauty and his ensuing moral decline is symbolic of the decadence and moral decline in turn of the century Europe in what is known a ..."

Tags:Mann, Novella, Death, Venice

Abstract
This paper offers a comparative, analytical review of Thomas Mann's 1912 "Death in Venice." The paper asserts that Mann's work reflects many plot and characterization influences that are not present in the works of other writers at the time, and that early Greek writers were largely responsible for these influences - particular the playwright Euripides and his most famous Greek tragedy, "The Bacchae." The paper explains that the play was not performed in public until after Euripides' death. By examining the underlying themes of both works, the paper uncovers common elements; for example, the protagonist of both stories eventually degenerates into oblivion because he fails to acknowledge the element represented by Dionysus in their lives. The paper concludes that Thomas Mann continually uses imagery that conjures up the ancient Greek tales and that of Dionysus, with the intent of providing contrast to the conservative world of the German character.

From the Paper
"Like Dionysus, the King is unable to control the downward spiral that rips Thebes after the return of Dionysus. The frenzied worshippers represent an uncontrollable element in the story that affects the protagonist and antagonist of the story in a negative manner. The frenzied worshipers were originally created by Dionysus, but in the end, they become the path to destruction for both cultures. This fear of cultural destruction of German society by the introduction of new ideas is symbolized by the use of imagery from Dionysus in Death in Venice. The boy in Death in Venice resembles the frenzied dancers in the Bacchae. Like the boy, at first they are harmless, and a source of fascination. Soon they work their way into the heart of the city, eventually leading to a downward spiral. There are many parallels to this pattern and the destructive sequence that leads to the final demise of Aschenbach."

Tags:Thebes, Dionysus, Aschenbach, Pentheus

Abstract
This paper examines how Thomas Mann's "The Child Prodigy" effectively explores differences of perspective among a group of individuals, all of whom are experiencing the same phenomena. Through an analysis of the different characters, it discusses how Thomas Mann contends that a separation between persona, the person we present to others, and the genuine person who dwells within is an inescapable part of being a human being.

From the Paper
"Unlike Bibi, the reader meets the impressario "in the flesh" only once in the story, and never gets to enter his thought or hear him talk to himself. We only get to see him through the other characters' eyes. Long before we meet him, we learn he is a clever showman who knows all the tricks of the trade. Only he knows Bibi's real name, for example, and keeps it a secret because the babyish name is more profitable than an adult name, which might not attract interest so effectively. He also knows how to create the impression that the child is a great artist and writes about Bibi in the style of an objective critic who "wrested these concessions from his critical nature after a hard struggle." He presents himself as a person of wealth and culture by wearing "large gold buttons on his conspicuous cuffs." The critic notes that the affection the impressario displays for Bibi is part of the show, designed to trigger a frenzy of emotion."

Tags:bibi, princess, critic, piano, teacher

Abstract
In this article, the writer maintains that Thomas Mann's "Death in Venice" is often regarded by critics as one of the most important short stories of the author's creation. The writer points out that this piece of writing attracted attention because of its precise literary construction, which presented two different realities while using parallel references and opposing qualities that in the end find a common point of attraction. The writer notes that the story is apparently without any intriguing outcome, yet at a more profound level it proves to be one of psychological analysis and moral determinism. The writer concludes that "Death in Venice" is indeed a short story of great complexity and Thomas Mann succeeds in drawing the attention to the intimate conflict which arises in the human soul, between the need for self restrain and control and the desire for passion and lust.

From the Paper
"The plot is rather simple and focuses on the voyage of Aschenbach, one of Germany's most renowned writers, to the southern parts of Europe, in Venice where he develops a passion for a young Polish boy staying in the same hotel with his family and companion, Jashu. During his stay, cholera infects the city and Aschenbach has the possibility to leave the place. Instead he decides to stay and finds his death at the hands of the terrible disease. However, the actual sequence of events is less important for the development of the plot. What gives consistency and coherence is the main character's evolution from a rather detached and impersonal individual to a passionate degraded human soul. This evolution however is placed on an adequate background, as this element too is in contradiction and evolves from beginning till the end of the story."

Tags:Aschenbach, character, writing, human, soul

Abstract
In his play, "Magic Mountain", Thomas Mann expresses the intellectual squalor of the pre-World War I era, that would inevitably lead to violence and destruction. The central protagonist of the tale is a young marine engineer who, taken singularly, is of no particular importance. The paper shows that what makes him-Hans Castorp -significant is what he represents for society: he is the embodiment of humanity, caught between the forces poised to crush individual identity and reduce it to mass conformity. The paper shows that, all together, these forces of thought, to Mann, are mere derivatives of nature, which act to shape each person's mind into a particular archetype. In this way, "The Magic Mountain" is a universal warning to the course of history and of the dangerous capacity of unbound rationality.

From the Paper
"Personally, Castorp comes from a reasonably wealthy bourgeoisie family; and although his parents have both died, he remains well positioned and is "obviously on the way to important positions in his life." (Mann, 54). Largely, this is also a consequence of his association with Hamburg-an emerging port city during the early twentieth century. Symbolically, Hamburg's rising prominence comes at the expense of other, older, and better established cities. Accordingly, Castorp's path to important positions rests on the shoulders of the new age: technologies and industrial might. Additionally, Castorp's occupation makes him poised to build Germany into a naval empire, which is also a drive of the new age. Naval dominance, as seen by many of his time, was the only true way to establish Germany's rightful place within the world."

Tags:Clawdia, Chauchart, Settembrini, Mynheer, Peeperkorn

Abstract
Thomas Mann, as a novelist, is considered uniquely gifted in his ability to convey philosophical insight through the deployment of a character's specific perspective in the context of a town, family, or hospital community, even the ailment afflicting the hospital community itself in the case of his novel, "The Magic Mountain." The paper shows that even when the character in question, such as Claudia Chauchat herself, lacks a level of profound self-knowledge and insight because of her location in the particular community of the sanatorium at the heart of the novel, the reader is still capable of being on the receiving end of profound insights about the contrasting nature of health and illness from Mann's point of view.

From the Paper
"For Mann, thus, the mind/body "problem" or distinction is really no problem or distinction at all. Human beings are not merely minds or bodies, with one dominating the other. Even a highly physical aliment such as tuberculosis affects different individuals in different ways. Clearly, suffering from an illness can change a person's life--if it were not for TB Claudia would never have withdrawn from the whirl of her social, aristocratic Russian world, and the nature of the illness seems to heighten her senses at times, as is noted in the chapter when she seduces Hans, entitled "Walpurgis" or "Witches' Night," implying that her sensuality has an almost supernatural level. But Claudia does not use it as an excuse to withdraw from living a full, human, and physically involved and sexual life like Hans Castorp."

Tags:Hans, Castorp, Joachim

Abstract
This paper examines how Oscar Wilde's "Picture of Dorian Gray" and Thomas Mann's "Death in Venice" are literary works situated in the cultural phenomenon known as decadence. This cultural phenomenon began in the late nineteenth century and involved the production of a range of interrelated aesthetic, social and sexual personae. It looks at how the most prevalent of these in the work of Wilde and Mann are the beautiful boy, the dandy and the degenerate, because they represent the "Other". It also discusses how both novels also deal with the dichotomy of the Apollonian and Dionysian artistic impulses in literature, which serve to define the calm exterior/decaying interior that codifies decadence.

From the Paper
"Felski argues that Decadent literature offers "explicitly feminized male protagonists, who are identified with love of artifice, excess, and everything unnatural." This is certainly true in the case of Dorian Gray. She also mentions the "association of femininity with ornamentation and detail in Western culture." Both Dorian and Tadzio's clothing is described with much attention to the detail and adornments of the garments. Wilde's novel regards the protagonist's cultivation of sense experience, passion and sensation in the pursuit of beauty. Dorian studies exotic perfumes, collects musical instruments and precious stones, and once attended a masquerade ball wearing a costume covered with 560 pearls."

Tags:homosexuality, sexuality, dandy