SummaReview of Death in Venice by Thomas Mann

Introduction: SummaReview of Death in Venice by Thomas Mann

Death in Venice by Thomas Mann is a novella. Born on June 6, 1875, Thomas Mann, a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, and essayist was awarded the Nobel laureate for literature in 1929. He was influenced by Goethe, Nietzsche, and Schopenhauer.

What is Death in Venice by Thomas Mann About?

The main character, Gustav Aschenbach, in Death in Venice, is a 50-something, acclaimed writer who lives in Munich, and is suffering from writer’s block. Aschenbach is bored with his life and looking for an escape. He has a yearning to travel to a well-known resort in the south of Europe, and has some very intense visions about it. From the book, it sounds like Aschenbach isn't a very healthy person, and it also sounds as if he doesn’t have a very strong immune system, so where he goes on vacation has to have a climate that “agrees” with him.

He made a name for himself shortly after he graduated from high school, and was able to uphold the reputation for 10 years by working incredibly hard. In Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell talks about investing 10,000 hours and dedicating 10 years to master your craft, and that’s what Aschenbach did. He is very disciplined, has willpower, is consistent, and works tirelessly every day to hone his skill as a writer.

“Aschenbach had once stated outright, in an inconspicuous passage, that nearly every great thing that exists exists “in despite,” and was brought to completion despite distress and torment, poverty, abandonment, physical weakness, vice, passion, and a thousand obstructions. But that was more than an observation, it was a record of experience; indeed, it was the formula for his life and fame, the key to his oeuvre…”

In A Death in Venice, you see Gustav Aschenbach’s evolution as a writer. And over the years, his philosophies, thought processes, and ideas become more refined, and he reaches the stage in his career where the Board of Education is using sections of one of his book in the school curriculum, quite an achievement. He pays attention to detail, and has honed the power of observation, observing the people around him, and seeing things that most people would not see. Aschenbach is also very aware of his environment, and that is one of the reasons he is such a good writer. His writing is authentic and comes to life.

For the trip he is thinking of taking, he wants to be in a very different environment than he is accustomed to, to move through his writing block, and sees himself going on an excursion to an exotic place. He studies maps and timetables and settles on an island in the Adriatic, close to the coast of Istria. When he gets there, Aschenbach is dissatisfied and leaves for Venice after one-and-a-half weeks.

So Aschenbach is now in Venice, and the weather is quite dreary. But while he is there he spots a 14-year old Polish boy who he deems to have a perfectly beautiful face. He is both amazed and frightened by “the truly godlike beauty of this human child.” He looks forward to seeing Tadzio every day, and tries to convince himself that he is captivated by the way the teenager looks that he is only interested in aesthetics. As time progresses, Aschenbach goes out of his way to watch Tadzio, and becomes obsessed with the boy, although he doesn’t approach him.

The weather in Venice is affecting him, so Aschenbach reluctantly decides to leave, but his luggage is sent to the wrong destination and he returns to his hotel. I’m sure he now thinks it’s a sign from the universe telling him to remain in Venice and be close to Tadzio.  And his luggage takes two days to arrive, which doesn’t help matters. His obsession heightens, and he is standing outside the room where the boy is staying in with his family.

He follows the boy everywhere – while Tadzio, his sisters and governess are strolling in Venice, he waits for boy while he is attending church – and he is often hiding so that they do not see him watching the boy. Aschenbach adores Tadzio – it gives him pleasure to be in close proximity with this human beauty. The boy’s voice is music to his ears, although he doesn’t understand Polish.

Aschenbach uses Tadzio’s form in his writing, and even “models an essay on the boy’s beauty – 1 ½ pages of choice prose.”

While all of this is going on, several people leave Venice abruptly, and there is an awful smell of disinfectant everywhere. The authorities are playing down what is really going on, but Aschenbach doesn’t accept the explanations they give him. He keeps on trying to ferret out information. Finally, he learns from a British travel agent that there is an outbreak of Indian Cholera.

The agent tells Aschenbach to leave Venice immediately because it is actually a health crisis. Instead of taking the advice and leave Venice immediately, he instead debates with himself about whether or not he should publicize information, and tell Tadzio’s family what is going on so that they can leave. He decides to keep quiet, because after all, that’s what the authorities really want. They want to keep things quiet although quite a few people have already died.

What kind of madness is that? Aschenbach decides to stay, and he contracts cholera, and dies on the beach in a chair while watching Tadzio. He was a slave to his passion, and his obsession stripped him of his dignity – he died in a foreign land where no one is aware of his accomplishments. Today, Gustav Aschenbach would be viewed as a stalker, and possibly a pedophile in the making, and his behaviour is somewhat predatory.

In A Death in Venice by Thomas Mann, Aschenbach has a lot of nightmares. When he has the first urge to travel, we learn about his “vivid visions” and “delusion of senses” so I wonder if he was mentally ill.

Final Thoughts: Death in Venice by Thomas Mann

There are a lot of Greek references (Phaedra, Zeus, Narcissus, Eros, Dionysus, Semele and more) in the story, and although it’s great if you have an understanding of Greek mythology, it’s not a requirement. I recommend Death in Venice by Thomas Mann, because it is a warning to temper the things we obsess about.

Some of Thomas Mann's Books

 Death in Venice and Other Stories The Magic Mountain Buddenbrooks: The Decline of a Family Doctor Faustus (Everyman's Library)