Death in Venice

Death in Venice (1912) is a novella by celebrated German author Thomas Mann (1875-1955). The story follows Gustav von Aschenbach, a successful but aging writer who travels to Venice seeking inspiration and respite. There, he becomes infatuated with Tadzio, an exceptionally beautiful young boy whose ethereal presence awakens a profound and dangerous longing in Aschenbach. As Venice succumbs to a cholera epidemic, Aschenbach’s obsession leads to his downfall.

Mann, the recipient of the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature, was an influential voice against the rise of Nazism in Germany during the 1930s. His work reflects the cultural attitudes and social tensions of early 20th-century Europe and explores elements of the universal human experience as well as the role of the artist in society. Death in Venice is rich in symbolism and Classical references, and centers on themes including The Link Between Desire and Death, The Conflict Between Rationality and Sensuality, and The Idolization of Beauty. It remains controversial due to its depiction of taboo desires linked to Ancient Greek pederastic traditions which can be read as pedophilic in the modern context.

This guide uses the 2021 Project Gutenberg e-book edition of Kenneth Burke’s 1924 translation into English. In-text citations refer to chapter number and paragraph number.

Content Warning: This work includes depictions of attraction toward minors manifesting in obsessive and predatory behaviors (e.g., stalking). This guide also discusses historical anti-gay bias and historical acceptance of relationships between adults and minors.

Plot Summary

Death in Venice is a novella in five chapters. The first opens with the protagonist, author Gustav von Aschenbach, walking through his home city of Munich to recover from a difficult morning of writing. As he waits for a tram, he makes eye contact with a strange, hostile foreigner and is hit with an overwhelming wanderlust. He hallucinates an exotic vista and dreams of traveling to such a place but resolves to travel briefly to a European resort to satisfy this desire for novelty more conveniently.

Aschenbach has written several influential and renowned works, all of which celebrate heroic figures who endure and overcome hardships. As an artist who flourishes despite a weak constitution, he is a combination of his mother’s sensual heritage and the hardworking diligence of his paternal line. He has, however, suppressed his passions to better commit himself to work.

He ends up traveling to Venice by boat. During the journey, he is repulsed by an old man who tries to blend in with a group of young clerks and is offended by an impertinent gondolier. At his hotel that evening, he is awestruck and deeply moved by the beauty of a young Polish boy whom he later learns is named Tadzio. Aschenbach initially resolves to leave Venice prematurely for fear that the climate is damaging his health, but almost immediately regrets the decision. A mix-up with his luggage provides an excuse for him to stay, and he realizes then that the reason he wants to stay is to keep seeing Tadzio.

Aschenbach extends his stay indefinitely, spending every day idly watching Tadzio play on the beach. Though Aschenbach feigns indifference, he perceives that his interest is returned by a curious Tadzio. He meets with the boy unexpectedly one evening and is too struck by his beauty to hide his expression of admiration and pleasure. The boy smiles back at him, causing Aschenbach to realize that he has fallen deeply in love with Tadzio. Now cognizant of his desires, Aschenbach’s obsession with Tadzio reaches new heights, seeing him regularly stalk the boy’s family through the streets of Venice. At night he dreams of a wild bacchanalia where devotees wail Tadzio’s name. Meanwhile, he attempts to make himself seem younger and more appealing through fashion and cosmetics, although he does not dare approach and talk with Tadzio directly.

After a month in Venice, Aschenbach begins to hear rumors of a plague sweeping through the city. Officials have sworn the media and residents to secrecy for fear of disrupting the tourism industry, but Aschenbach eventually discovers that an epidemic of Indian cholera is ravaging Venice. Rather than leave or warn his fellow tourists of the danger, Aschenbach stays on so as not to lose his time with Tadzio, and in some vague hope that a breakdown in law and order might provide opportunities to get close to the boy. Long after most other tourists have left, Aschenbach learns that Tadzio’s family is also due to depart. He is already feeling unwell, having eaten strawberries that were likely tainted with cholera earlier in the week. He goes to the beach and watches as Tadzio wanders alone to the sea, seemingly beckoning for Aschenbach to join him. Aschenbach tries to rise from his seat but collapses back down. He’s brought back to his hotel room and dies later that day.