Der Tod in Venedig von Thomas Mann: Lektüreschlüssel mit Inhaltsangabe, Interpretation

Reclam Lektüreschlüssel XL are the ideal aids for preparing for lessons, presentations, exams, and the Abitur – differentiated, comprehensive, and clear! They provide precise summaries to introduce the text, clear analyses of characters, structure, language, and style, reliable interpretations with concise textual evidence, information about the author and historical context, helpful infographics, illustrations, and tables, as well as current literature and media recommendations. Particularly useful elements include exam questions with solution hints and key terms along with definitions as a learning glossary.

The novella "Death in Venice," written in 1911, tells the story of the writer Gustav von Aschenbach, who falls in love with the young Tadzio while on vacation in Venice and ultimately dies of cholera. Thomas Mann meaningfully chose the water-threatened Venice as the setting – "the most improbable of all cities." In doing so, he enriches his psychoanalytically influenced theme of the artist's dilemma with motifs of death and ancient mythology, stylizing Venice as a symbol of decadence. The city by the water, where the artistic drives of Nietzsche – the Apollonian and the Dionysian – rage within the writer Aschenbach, becomes a symbol of inevitable decline.