Question

How does Death in Venice prefigure/represent the “New” in the 20^th century West (in history, politics, psychology, art and/or literature)?

Answer 1

One of the most important figures of early 20^th century literature Thomas Mann is famous for his fictional as well controversial essays. Death is Venice is in fact a work presented by him which represents some of his own personal issues in the body of work created by the man. It also tends to discuss many critical ideas in the world of literature at the time. Apart from the larger themes, it was a piece of work inspired by true events in the life of its author. He had been on an island near Venice at the time of a cholera outbreak. He was therefore inspired by this name and his own need to travel out of the place at the time. The same represented in his characters of the story line. Like Aschenbach, his character, Mann the author was also homosexual: even though he was married and had six children, his wife claimed that she married simply to have a family and for societal reasons, and the publication of Mann's diaries in recent years have illuminated his many homosexual relationships. Since the themes were such that have been highlighted many times in 20^th century in order to place the rights of individuals of different sexual orientations upfront, the themes of writings struck a chord with many.