Death in Venice in Never too Late to Read Classics

Jun 09, 2020 Manybooks rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: lgbtq, book-reviews, german-literature, short-stories, thomas-mann, unlikable-characters, wonderful-writing-style, gets-a-bit-boring

So really, and from an entirely structural and writer's craft point of view (and of course also in my humble opinion), Thomas Mann's 1911 novella Der Tod in Venedig (Death in Venice) is most definitely and absolutely brilliant story telling, richly nuanced, full of both exquisite descriptiveness and a power of observation that actually almost seems to even defy reality. And yes, I do therefore also very much and very vociferously proclaim and state that for many readers, including myself, Thomas So really, and from an entirely structural and writer's craft point of view (and of course also in my humble opinion), Thomas Mann's 1911 novella Der Tod in Venedig (Death in Venice) is most definitely and absolutely brilliant story telling, richly nuanced, full of both exquisite descriptiveness and a power of observation that actually almost seems to even defy reality. And yes, I do therefore also very much and very vociferously proclaim and state that for many readers, including myself, Thomas Mann's way with words is indeed considered utterly magical, that Thomas Mann's writing and his stylistics are absolutely and marvellously wonderful perfection in every manner of speaking.

However, and even though with regard to the "how" of Thomas Mann's penmanship, I do in fact and rather obviously from my words above generally think of him as one of my hands-down favourite German authors (and really also usually above and beyond any and all specifically style related criticisms), I nevertheless and rather frustratingly also often do tend to encounter in Thomas Mann's prose (in both his shorter fiction and actually even more so in his novels) an annoying and even rather majorly problematic at times dichotomy and tension between writing style (between Thomas Mann's expressivity and descriptiveness) and that which is used as thematics and contents. And yes indeed, Der Tod in Venedig is most definitely no exception to this, because honestly, albeit that I am totally in reading love with Thomas Mann's writing as it is presented both structurally and with regard to how he uses his printed words to create such an interesting and wonderfully descriptive portrait of turn of the century Venice, the actual contents and the specific thematics of Der Tod in Venedig have always left me both rather unsatisfied at best and also often majorly and unfailingly uncomfortable (with feelings of being far too often full of animosity for and anger at main protagonist Gustaf von Aschenbach as well as far too much being majorly creeped out by von Aschenbach's sexual deviances).

For really, Gustaf von Aschenbach is not AT ALL a character I have ever (and since first reading Der Tod in Venedig in 1996) found either all that relatable to or someone I could remotely accept and handle as even just a very casual acquaintance. And yes, that throughout Der Tod in Venedig Gustaf von Aschenbach blithely, selfishly and very much arrogantly keeps following young and innocent Tadzio around throughout Venice, thereby delaying von Aschenbach departing from Venice even though there is an epidemic raging (and yes, even if this homoeroticism is mostly just endangering von Aschenbach's own life by making him act foolishly and imprudently), this has always made Der Tod in Venedig a mostly not all that pleasant and engagingly satisfying personal reading experience, with the only reason why Der Tod in Venedig still rates with three stars for me, being that I do in fact very much enjoy how with regard to style and written expression the story of Gustaf von Aschenbach's decline and death in Venice is being told to us by Thomas Mann, even though, even as I personally really cannot stand and cannot at times even stomach the specific contents of Der Tod in Venedig and especially the pedophilic homoeroticism of Gustaf von Aschenbach. ...more

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Oct 16, 2020 Chrissie rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, hf, returned, 2020-read, philo-psychol, lgtb, audible-uk, italy, medical, relationships

Gustav von Aschenbach is the central character of this novel. He is German, lives in Munich, and is a renowned author. A few years back, at the age of fifty, in acknowledgment of his talent and expertise, “von” was added to his name. In so doing, he was awarded the status and the honor of an aristocrat. He is a widower. His daughter is married. His whole life is his work. He is fastidious, conscientious, organized to the extreme and follows strictly all rules. When the book opens, the year is 19 ...more

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Aug 16, 2021 Laura rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: german-literature, proofreading, fiction-20th-century, e-books, free-literature, gutenberg, novellas, read-2021

Free download available at Project Gutenberg

I made the proofing of this book for Free Literature and Project Gutenberg will publish it.

5* The Magic Mountain
4* Death in Venice
4* Tonio Kröger
5* Buddenbrooks: The Decline of a Family
3.5* Royal Highness
TR The Holy Sinner
TR Mario and the Magician
TR Joseph and His Brothers
TR Doctor Faustus

About Thomas Mann:
TR Brothers in Exile: A Novel of the Lives and Loves of Thomas and Heinrich Mann ...more

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Jun 05, 2022 Kelly_Hunsaker_reads ... rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, read-in-2022, 1001-books, 60-before-60

Although I could see the value of this book, I found it a painful read.

What worked best for me was the author's ability to create a mood. From the first sentence I found this book to be ominous, tense and dark. The main character is an aging poet who one day sees a red-bearded foreigner which leads to Gustav's desire (obsession?) to leave his cold, dreary home in Germany. Eventually he makes his way to Venice, where he soon observes a Polish family and becomes enchanted by their 14 year old son ...more

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Jan 14, 2011 Laura rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: german-literature, bookmooch, 1001-books-you-must-read-before-you, read-2011, nobel-prize

Another masterpiece by Thomas Mann, describing the relationship between Aschenbach and the young man Tadzio. Diseases are always present in the author's background. To be read, a classic of the German literature. ...more

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Oct 13, 2017 Karen rated it really liked it

Shelves: 1001, travel-the-world

This is the first book that I finished by Thomas Mann. I tried to read Magic Mountain many years ago, but gave up halfway through. I really liked this novella, and it is probably a good place to start if one is considering reading Mann. A German writer, Gustav Aschenbach, has achieved fame, fortune and prestige, but he is feeling unsettled and in need of a different environment and a kind of spiritual renewal. He decides to travel south, and ends up in Venice.

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Apr 15, 2025 Jenna Scribbles rated it really liked it

Unsettling. A raw look at a forbidden desire. Some sources set Tadzio’s age at 14. I’m not sure where that firm age came from. Did I miss it in the text? In my mind the boy was much younger. I pictured 7 to 10. This comes from him being described as the youngest of the children, his outfit, his hair being curly and quite childlike. I’d love to hear other readers’ thoughts on this.

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