Olli, Chris and Steffan
Tod in Venedig (1912) – Thomas Mann
Freud’s uncanny and Aschenbach’s uncanny encounters in the novella.
Freud’s Uncanny
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Freud’s theory of ‘das Unheimliche’ (1919) – concept that something is
familiar but foreign at the same time. Similar to the concept of déjà vu.
‘Cognitive Dissonance’ (feeling of discomfort when in disequilibrium)
results in the rejection of these strange ideas/feelings/concepts.
Ernst Jentsch originally considered this concept in 1906 – applied to
E.T.A. Hoffmann’s ‘Der Sandmann’
‘The Uncanny’ reminds us of our ‘Id’ (‘das Es’ - Lustprinzip) and as a result
the people or objects we project our desires on become scapegoats that
we blame.
Freud believed these uncanny ‘monsters’ had a fairytale-esque character.
It is a certain, specific kind of fear that has two sources, according to
Freud’s theory:
o Wiederkehr des Verdrängten
o Wiederbelebung eines überwundenen Realitätsverständnisses.
An example of a ‘Wiederkehr des Verdrängten’ is symbolic castration,
which links to Der Sandmann, as Freud believed the removal of the eyes
symobolised this.
An example of an ‘überwundenes Realitätsverständnis’ is being convinced
that a simple thought can change reality. It can then appear to actually
have influence and this creates an uncanny sense of fear. Freud describes
this notion of thought as infantile.
Freud looked at the etymology of the word ‘unheimlich’ and believed the
‘heim’ linked to the idea of retreating into the home and a world of
secrets.
Introduction to the novella and Thomas Mann
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Thomas Mann is well known for stories that end tragically, and explore
characters philosophically.
Der Tod in Venedig was the last of his works to consider the conflict
between life and art.
Links to novels like Effi Briest (and Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray)
that looked at social decline of morals. There is also the theme of
homoeroticism.
Nietzsche and mythological references to Greek Gods Dionysus and
Apollo are frequent throughout the novel, as Mann believed Nietzsche
used mythological terms to describe what Freud did in psychological
terms.
Mann took inspiration for the novella from his own experiences in Venice
and his own homosexual feelings. He was married with children, but
struggled with his sexuality. Aschenbach tries to suppress his sexual
desires but with the appearance of Tadzio, his repressed desire begin to
surface.
Olli, Chris and Steffan
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Mann is known for his tendency not to waste words, everything he writes
is intended to convey something, for example Aschenbach’s actions early
on not considering his psychological side is a representation of the
Freudian idea of repressed psychological drives.
Mann’s representation of Venice
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p.21 – “Es war ein betagtes Fahrzeug italienischer Nationalität, veraltet,
rußig und düster...”
p.23 – “Der Himmel war grau, der Wind feucht.”
p.24 – “…ein anderes Venedig zu erreichen…”
p.27 – “Das seltsame Farhzeug, aus balladesken Zeiten ganz unverändert
überkommen und so eigentümlich schwarz, wie sonst unter allen Dingen
nur Särge es sind... es erinnert noch mehr an den Tod selbst, an Bahre und
düsteres Begängnis und letzte, schweigsame Fahrt.”
p.27 – “sargschwarz lackierte”
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Negative and dark imagery used to describe his trip into Venice. The ship
is old and dirty, for example. Pathetic fallacy is used with the dark sky and
damp wind, which links to the dark colour of the gondola, which is
compared to a coffin. This could be seen to relate to the ‘Wiederkehr des
Verdrängten’ as the images up to this point have been negative from the
very first chapter and now, entering the South of Europe and the
supposed glory of Venice, Aschenbach is once again confronted with this
issues instead of having then resolved.
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Chapter 5 sees the city of Venice enveloped in the cholera epidemic, and
as the city declines so does Aschenbach. He refers to Venice as “halb
Märchen, halb Fremdenfalle” (p.65) linking to the idea that the uncanny
takes on a fairytale like character.
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p.77 – “Venedig ist verseucht.”
Grotesque Old Man on the Boat
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Aboard the boat to Venice at the beginning of chapter 3, Aschenbach sees
what he believes to be a group of young men chatting, and one in
particular catches his eye.
P.34 - ‘Einer, in hellgelben, übermodisch geschnittenem Sommeranzug,
roter Krawatte und kühn aufgebogenem Panama tat sich mit krähender
Stimme an Aufgeräumheit vor allen anderen hervor.ä
Aschenbach then notices to his horror upon looking him in the eyes that
this man is not young as first thought, but that his youthful façade was in
fact false.
P.34 ‘Er war alt, man konnte nicht zweifeln.’
Wrinkles surround the man’s mouth and eyes. His cheeks were coated in
rouge and he wore a brown wig beneath his straw hat. His moustache is
Olli, Chris and Steffan
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dyed and his teeth, despite being yellow, are all clearly false. On his hands
were signet rings on both index fingers, which were clearly the fingers of
an old man.
His companions, despite being clearly younger do not seem to notice or
care about the appearance of the old man.
P.35 ‘Selbstverständlich und gewohnheitsmäßig, wie es schien, duldeten
sie ihn in ihrer Mitte, behandelten ihn als ihresgleichen, erwiderten ohne
Widerwillen seine neckischen Rippenstöße. Wie ging das zu?’
The old man later drunkenly says goodbye to Aschenbach as they leave
the boat, despite being a stranger and can only be stopped by his false
teeth fall out.
This grotesque old man symbolises deceit, as he tries to cover up who he
truly is, and also the deceitful side of art itself, but also embodies
Aschenbach’s fears for himself.
A Freudian reading sees this as the manifestation of Aschenbach’s Id and
how Aschenbach’s pursuit of relaxation will lead him to similarly degrade
in lust and basesness.
We can see the culmination of this later in the novel when Aschenbach
makes himself up to impress Tadzio. He can no longer suppress his Id.
The chapel encounter
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Gustav Von Aschenbach is an aging, nationally renowned writer living
alone in Munich.
Stops to read the gilt lettering on a Byzantine mortuary chapel referring
to the afterlife. Here, he suddenly notices a strange-looking man with red
hair, dressed as a tourist.
The man has a grimace that displays his long white teeth and gums, and
Aschenbach realizes that the man is staring back at him aggressively.
Though the meeting comes to nothing, the encounter stirs in Aschenbach a
sudden desire to travel to foreign lands (wanderlust).
A very in-depth description reveals that the red-haired man is moderately tall,
skinny, beardless and strikingly pug-nosed. He is described as not being of
“Bavarian stock” and is said to have an exotic air about him, as though he is
someone who has come from distant parts.
“Offenbar war er durchaus nicht bajuwarischen Schlages” p.11 (Fischer)
“seinem Aussehen ein Gepräge des Fremdländischen und Weitherkommenden verleih“ p.11
(Fischer)
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Despite being very different physically to Aschenbach, the narrator admits that
the clothes which he wears, in particular the „landesüblichen” rucksack,
cements him in the ‘familiar’.
 Man’s red hair has been said to symbolize the devil. This is a recurring theme
in Mann’s novel.
The gondola ride
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After arriving in Venice, Aschenbach disembarks and boards a gondola.
Olli, Chris and Steffan
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He gets into an argument with the gondolier, who has reddish eyebrows
and often bares his white teeth as he struggles to guide the boat.
The man refuses to turn the boat around or to inform his passenger of
how much the ride will cost, saying simply, “Sie werden bezahlen”.
When they reach the shore, Aschenbach goes to get change to pay the
gondolier only to find upon his return that the gondolier has vanished
without a trace.
An old man tells Aschenbach that the gondolier owns no license, is a
known criminal, and left to avoid the police.
The gondola is at one point compared to a coffin (Särg) and is, therefore, a
symbol of death.
The episode is only one of a multitude of references to Greek myth, and,
as with many of these references, it functions as parody: the classical
heroes’ crossing are a sign of their strength and determination whereas
Aschenbach’s is associated with submission and weakness.
Moreover, the criminal gondolier evokes the ominous figure from Chapter
1 whose appearance first gave Aschenbach the idea to travel.
The terrace encounter
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One evening, a group of street musicians gives a performance in the
hotel’s front garden.
Aschenbach sits on the terrace sipping pomegranate juice and soda water.
He encounters a red-haired guitarist who, through lewd movements and
suggestive winks, manages to make a foolish song strangely offensive.
As the guitarist marches around, Aschenbach notices that he stinks of
bactericide. Aschenbach inquires as to why Venice is being disinfected.
The guitarist replies that it is merely a preventive measure against the
sirocco, which is known to be bad for health, and moves off.
At this point there are two recurring themes in Mann’s novel: the colour red and
the red-haired man.
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The pomegranate juice
Its mythical significance
The recurring devil-like figures all share the similar physical
characteristics.
Aschenbach is constantly subjected to a process of estrangement.
Chapter 5 – Aschenbach gets lost in Venice and his transformation at the
barbers.
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pp. 81-2 – Aschenbach visits the barbers. Change to the uncanny as he is
reminiscent of an early character who he found repulsive (the man on the
boat at the beginning of Chapter 3). Links to Freud’s uncanny as he is
hiding from his Id under make up, but also allowing himself to succumb to
his ‘Lustprinzip’ – wanting to make himself more attractive for Tadzio.
Olli, Chris and Steffan
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p.83 – Aschenbach gets lost in the “Brücken und Plätzchen des
Labyrinthes” whilst he is following Tadzio. This is symbolic of Aschenbach
getting lost in his repressed desires coming to the surface, it also
highlights how he succumbs to his lust for Tadzio.
He talks of his “immerwährende Spannung”. His senses become aroused
by this encounter, and the thrill of following Tadzio and his family. “Sein
Kopf brannte, sein Körper war mit klebrigen Schweiß bedeckt, sein
Genick zitterte...” Of course this also links to his illness.
Daydreaming
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Aschenbach spends a lot of his time daydreaming, and never actually acts
on his daydreaming about Tadzio. Could this daydreaming be because
Aschenbach is incapable of dealing with the reality of his thoughts?
Reality seems to be too overwhelming for Aschenbach. These daydreams
seem to release his Id.