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Razvoj grada kroz stoljea / Bruno Mili

Mili, Bruno
Zagreb : kolska knjiga, 1990 - ! sv!
"njiga
#1$ : Prapovijest - antika! 1990! Za %osudbu
& : Srednji vijek! 199'! Za %osudbu
( : Novo doba! &00&! Za %osudbu
)*+M,- M,..
Buddenbrookovi /Buddenbrooks - Verfall einer Familie0 - 1901!
Kraljevska Visost /"1nigli23e *o3eit) - 1909.
udesna gora /Der auberberg0 - 19&4!
!ose"# und seine Br$der /tetralogija 19((! - 194(!0
Die %es&#i&#ten !aakobs - 19((!
Der junge !ose"# - 19(4!
!ose"# in 'g("ten - 19(5!
!ose"# der )rn*#rer - 194(!
+otte in ,eimar - 19(9!
Doktor Faustus - 1946!
Der )r-*#lte - 19'1!
.s"ovijedi varali&e Feli/a Krulla /Bekenntnisse des 0o&#sta"lers Feli/ Krull0 - 19'4!
Vision /179(!0
%efallen /1794!0
Der ,ille 1um %l$&k /1795!0
Der kleine 0err Friedemann /1796!0
Der 2od /1796!0
Der Baja11o /1796!0
)ntt*us&#ung /1797!0
2obias 3inderni&kel /1797!0
Der Kleiders&#rank. )ine %es&#i&#te voller 4*tsel /1799!0
%er*&#t /1799!0
+uis&#en /1900!0
Der ,eg 1um Fried#of /1900!0
%ladius Dei /190&!0
2ristan /190(!0
Die 0ungernden /190(!0
2onio Kr5ger /190(!0
Das ,underkind /190(!0
)in %l$&k /1904!0
6&#-ere 6tunde /190'!0
,*lsungenblut /1905!0
7nekdote /1907!0
Das )isenba#nungl$&k /1909!0
,ie !a""e und Do )s&obar si&# "r$gelten /1911!0
Der 2od in Venedig /191&!0
Beim 8ro"#eten /1914!0
0err und 0und. )in .d(ll /1919!0
9nordnung und fr$#es +eid /19&'!0
3ario und der auberer. )in tragis&#es 4eiseerlebnis /19(0!0
Der Knabe 0eno&# /19(4!0
Die vertaus&#ten K5"fe. )ine indis&#e +egende /1940!0
Das %eset1 /194(!0
Die Betrogene /19'(!0
Gabriele DAnnunzios The Flame (1900) and Thomas Manns Death in Venice (1912) are two texts
rarely onsidered in onstellation! the authors o" whom a##ear at $rst %lane to ha&e little in
ommon' (et se&eral #arallels seem to exist between the texts and! more broadly s#ea)in%! e&en
between the authors themsel&es* +n both we read o" the ex#erienes o" an artist in ,enie! where
an ob-et o" desire exerts suh an intoxiatin% allure that "urther artisti reation is threatened'
Moreo&er! in both ases a mani"estation o" .ietzshes Dionysus a##ears! o/erin% reati&e insi%ht
and dri&e but also threatenin% to ondut the initiate into the abyss o" sel"0"or%et"ulness and
obli&ion' +n the two texts! ,enie is no mere settin%* the landsa#es o" this uni1ue watery ity
#er&ade the &ery ation o" the texts and the ity "untions almost as an ati&e harater! rather
than a #assi&e ba)dro#' The landsa#es de#ited enhane the #lots! suh as they are! and interat
with the #rota%onists' They also #ro&ide ruial eluidation re%ardin% the #syholo%y and state o"
mind o" the #rota%onists' +n this artile + intend to %i&e a ritial om#arison o" the ,enetian
landsa#es #ortrayed by DAnnunzio and Mann! to establish some idea o" the extent o" the #arallels
between these texts'
+n Death in Venice and The Flame we witness the inner stru%%le o" the artist who! on"ronted with
debilitatin% desire! is distrated "rom his artisti %oal' The ob-et o" desire (Tadzio "or Death in
Venices Ashenbah! 2osarina "or The Flames 3telio) both aids and im#edes the artists reati&ity'
Dionysus #resides o&er the #roess releasin% im#ulses to intoxiation! abandon! and obli&ion' +n
,enie! Ashenbah embraes Dionysus absolutely and dies wathin% his belo&ed a%ainst the sea4
the intensity o" his desire "or Tadzio has eradiated the #ossibility o" "uture reati&e #rodution'
3telio and 2osarina reah a healthier onlusion* she e&entually de#arts to allow her lo&er "reedom
to om#ose his %reat wor)! a mo&e that yo)es their #otentially ri##lin% desire and #laes it into
the ser&ie o" art' This allows 3telio to de&ote himsel" "ully to his artisti aim o" re-u&enatin% the
stale ultural landsa#e and establishin% a tra%i tradition (and outdoor theatre to ri&al 5ayreuth)
"or the modern a%e' ,enie ne&er %oes unnotied in the texts! and we $nd the ,enetian landsa#e
atin% as an ins#iration! a wor) o" art! a labyrinth! a tem#tress! and an alle%orial de&ie'
Mann &isited ,enie in the summer o" 1911 with his wi"e and his brother! 6einrih' Manns diaries
doument his so-ourn mentionin% a youn% 7olish boy who au%ht Manns eye' 6is "asination with
this boy was ada#ted to #ro&ide the entral thread "or Ashenbahs ,enetian ex#eriene' +t was in
the ,enie o" 1899 that DAnnunzio beame a1uainted with the atress :leonora Duse! who was to
beome his lo&er and the model "or The Flames 2osarina' +n the same year DAnnunzio also s#o)e
at the $rst ,enetian 5iennale* 6is oration! entitled Allegory to Autumn! was ada#ted and
inor#orated into 3telios limati s#eeh in The Flame.
;ne o" the $rst "untions "ul$lled by the ,enetian landsa#e o" the texts is that o" a mirror* <ust as
the waters o" the sea and anals re=et the buildin%s and han%in% s)ies! so the landsa#e re=ets
both the #syholo%y o" the haraters! and the ultural mood o" the time as Mann and DAnnunzio
#erei&ed it' 5oth writers were intri%ued by deadene!>1? whih 7a%lia de$nes as @a
ounterreation within Aomantiism! orretin% its tilt toward Dionysus'>2? Beir desribes
deadene as @both an extension o" and a reation to AomantiismC as both a lan%uorous and a
rebellious state o" mindC as a deorati&e! su#er$ial art and a #ioneerin%! #ro"ound
aestheti'>D? Beir also eluidates the deline assoiated with deadene! di/erentiatin% it "rom
@de%eneration*>E? while the "ormer is a standard to be maintained! the latter @lets those standards
sli#'>9? Mann and DAnnunzio em#loy the ,enetian landsa#e! with its "esterin% anals!
rumblin% palazzi! and o&er%rown %ardens! as a s#ae in whih to re=et the ultural deadene
and sta%nation they reo%nised' The one #reeminent ity is "or Mann @the sun)en 1ueenC>F? "or
DAnnunzio! @without #ulse and without breath! dead in her %reen waters'>G? The latter desribes
@the lea=ess #lants! &illas in ruin! the silent ri&er! the relis o" 1ueens and em#resses! >H? the wild
labyrinth!>8? and Mann $nds a @si)ened ity>9? with sultry! unwholesome air'
+n both texts the deayin% landsa#es ontrast star)ly with the #rota%onists ambitions* a%ainst the
@sta%nant ree)in% la%oon>10? Ashenbah "eels s#iritually ele&ated by his enounter with Tadzio!
and on this @tor#id water>11? 3telio searhes "or artisti ins#iration' The rottin% anals o" Manns
landsa#es #lay a ruial #art in his #arodi underminin% o" his #rota%onist* 2oul smells and
"esterin% waters debase Ashenbahs &ision o" a noble 7latoni ex#eriene! hintin% at the
de%radation o" his own one0res#etable harater' Moti"s o" death litter these desri#tions o"
deay! reatin% deathly landsa#es that re=et the haraters who enounter them' Manns
deterioratin% landsa#es su%%est Ashenbahs rumblin% sel"0ontrol and welome him into a
deathly realm en route to his own demise! an endin% we ome to ex#et' DAnnunzio o/ers many
hints that 2osarina may ex#ire* This melanholy woman has su/ered muh in li"e (renderin% her a
more talented atress but a more burdensome lo&er4and muse) and with her eyes li)e &iolets!
symboli o" death and mournin%! she mathes the deathly landsa#es DAnnunzio desribes'
+n their #ortrayal o" suh noxious s#aes! both Mann and DAnnunzio turn the ,enetian %ondolas
into "uneral bar%es' 2or DAnnunzio! they are @the boat o" Iharon!>12? and as Ashenbah is
trans#orted a%ainst his will in a @oJn0bla)>1D? boat by a ro%ue %ondolier! he idly onsiders that
his rower mi%ht deal him a blow with an oar and send him down @to the house o" 6ades'>1E? 5oth
authors also re"erene the emetery island o" 3an Mihele!>19? and as 3telio and 2osarina #ass by
in their %ondola they enter @dar) water! #assin% under the brid%e that loo)ed to the island!
>1F? brushin% #ast @boats that rotted alon% the deayin% walls'>1G? ;&erhead the s)y rumbles
thunderously and ominouslyC a moment later the lo&ers learn o" Aihard Ba%ners death in ,enie'
The #roximity o" our #rota%onists to the emetery island (Ashenbah notes the @hideously bris)
traJ>18? %oin% to the island amidst the holera e#idemi) learly illustrates their states o" mind
and mathes the sinister landsa#es in whih they $nd themsel&es'
At another #oint! as 2osarina rests exhausted "rom terror a"ter losin% her lo&er in a maze! they
#ass throu%h a landsa#e that deals a blea) -ud%ement on their relationshi#' 3telio has #lay"ully
eluded 2osarina in the maze des#ite her #leas not to be le"t aloneC her atta) o" #ani has
demonstrated her absolute de#endene on 3telio! ex#osin% their relationshi# as a @ostly
obli%ation'>19? As they are rowed homeward! they enounter @a wilderness! 3ty%ian! li)e a &ision o"
6ades* a ountry o" shadows! &a#ours and waters' All thin%s e&a#orated and dissi#ated li)e
s#irits'>20?Dar)ness and silene ma)e this a li"eless landsa#e* @the s)y ould obser&e its own
melanholy re=eted in innumerable 1uiet mirrors' And here and there! alon% the disoloured shore!
li)e the s#irits o" a &anished #eo#le! the statues #assed by'>21?This hauntin% landsa#e is
olourless! -oyless and deadC it re=ets the lo&ers mood and #erha#s %i&es a meta#horial
adumbration o" the ultural landsa#e that would result i" 3telio should suumb to o&erwhelmin%
desire and "ail in his artisti tas)' The statues e&o)e "aded %lory o" extint i&ilisations and #erha#s
remind 3telio o" his aim to rea#ture suh s#lendour a%ain'
Iom#arati&ely %loomy and hazy is the landsa#e throu%h whih Ashenbah "rantially #ursues
Tadzio* The #lae itsel" is a @labyrinth>22? and @the air was still and "oul! the sun burnt harshly
throu%h the &a#ours that oloured the s)y li)e slate'>2D? The @Arabian latties >whih? showed
shadowy in the %loom>2E? reall both the east (Dionysuss ori%in) and e&en #rison bars! su%%esti&e
o" Ashenbahs trans%ression and a#ti&ity' The thi) &a#ours in both DAnnunzios and Manns
desri#tions render the landsa#es laustro#hobi and o##ressi&e! mirrorin% their #rota%onists
enthrallment to (the ob-et o") desire' These ,enetian landsa#es o/er on$nement! deay! and
death! not ins#iration and art' <ust as 3telio and 2osarina ex#eriene a desolate sene when they
realise the ri##lin% nature o" their desire! so Ashenbah ex#erienes a hostilely trans$%ured
beah when he learns that Tadzios "amily are shortly to lea&e ,enie* @it was inhos#itable there'
>H? The #leasure s#ot! one so olour"ul and li&ely! now almost deserted! a##eared now autumnal!
out o" seasonC the sand was no lon%er )e#t lean'>29? 5oth Mann and DAnnunzio use a la) o"
olour to illustrate li"elessness and em#loy autumn (the season in whih The Flame is set) as a
symbol "or #ast s#lendour' 3telio an embrae autumn in the )nowled%e that s#rin%4renewin% the
,enetian landsa#e and re-u&enatin% his artisti landsa#e4will arri&eC in Ashenbahs ase!
howe&er! there will be no s#rin% and no ontinuation o" natures ylial renewal'
Des#ite the deathly senes "ound abo&e! ,enies s#etaular beauty still sur&i&es and stri)es both
Ashenbah and 3telio' Ashenbah arri&es in ,enie to a @blindin% om#osition o" "antasti
arhiteture!>2F? @the li%ht s#lendour o" the #alae and the brid%e o" si%hs! the olumns o" lion and
saint on the shore! the showy #ro-etin% =an) o" the "airy0tale tem#le'>2G? This welome seems
almost a sedution! %i&en the unwholesome side o" ,enie (inludin% the holera e#idemi) that will
%radually be re&ealed' +ndeed! Mann desribes ,enies beauty as @seduti&e and
sus#iious>28?and 3telio as)s 2osarina! @do you )now o" a %reater tem#tressK>29? To his eyes!
,enie an still a##ear as @a dream o" in$nite beauty>D0? and @there is no dawn and no sunset that
an e1ual that hour o" li%ht on stone and on the waters'>D1?
As well as lurin% Ashenbah and 3telio into barren landsa#es o" deay! ,enie also sedues the
areless &isitor to inertia and inati&ity' 2or Ashenbah the seasa#e is a ruial "eature o" ,enie
here* As an exhausted artist! he $nds a re"u%e in the sea that satis$es his need "or @the
unor%anised! the immeasurable! the eternal4in short! "or nothin%ness'>D2? Arri&in% in his hotel
room! Ashenbah immediately ins#ets his sea0&iew! $ndin% a landsa#e o" in$nity and &astness*
@he %lazed u#on the em#ty a"ternoon beah and the sunless seaC the tide was omin% in and sent
small! elon%ated wa&es in 1uiet re%ular rhythm a%ainst the shore'>DD? This rhythmi and eternal
element will e/et inertia in Ashenbah as he wathes Tadzio a%ainst the shoreline* As the
seasa#e erodes his will to #roduti&ity Ashenbah will be lulled into a lethar%y in whih he allows
time to dissi#ate in idle hours o" &oyeurism' +n The Flame! 3telio #eriodially ex#erienes a similar
a#athy' As the lo&ers #ass the house o" the a%ein% Iountess o" Glane%%>DE? the landsa#e #ro&o)es
lan%uor*
the inertia o" thin%s o&erwhelmed them! the humid ashy smo)e en%ul"ed them! thi)enin% >H?' The
%uttural wail >o" birds? %radually diminishin% beame sweet li)e =ute0notes on the wea) air! they
seemed to lin%er li)e those disoloured lea&es that abandoned the branh >H?' 6ow lon% was the
time it too) the lea" to "all "rom the branh and reah the %roundL>D9?
+n this landsa#e! all beomes @slowness! &a#our! abandon! onsum#tion! ashes'>DF?
5ut DAnnunzio #romises ho#e in the stru%%le a%ainst ultural sta%nation and! in ontrast to
Ashenbah! his artist0#rota%onists tor#or is not "atal' The ,enetian landsa#e also stimulates
3telio intermittently to ati&ity and reati&e ins#iration! es#eially when he is %ranted larity by
2osarinas absene (or the absene o" those as#ets o" their desire that eli#se reason and
#ur#ose)' A"ter a hane enounter with Ba%ner! "or exam#le! 3telio "eels artistially exhilarated
and intoxiated and an aural ex#eriene o" the ,enetian landsa#e )indles the reati&e =ame
sur%in% "orth within him' A storm a##roahes! 3telio lea#s to the rest o" the Aialto brid%e>DG? and
drin)s in the sounds that the wind has %athered "rom the ,enetian landsa#e' The sounds borne on
the air ondense a tem#oral landsa#e o" enturies into the rih but disor%anised wind*
tremendous was the &oie o" the whirlwind in that stillness o" enturies turned to stone* it alone
dominated the solitude! as it had when the marble still sle#t in the womb o" the mountains and on
the muddy islands o" the la%oon wild %rasses %rew around the birds nests! lon% be"ore the do%e
had ta)en seat on the Aialto! lon% be"ore the #atriarhs had led the "u%iti&es toward their %reat
destiny'>D8?
+n this wind! 3telio diserns a melody that re1uires his hel# to de&elo# itsel"* @The ity o" stone and
water had beome sonorous li)e an immense or%an' The hiss and rumble trans"ormed themsel&es
into a ty#e o" horal in&oation that %rew and diminished with a rhythmi mode'>D9? +n an almost
symbioti #roess the melody o/ers 3telio &isions o" distant anient lands! @the Mibyan desert >H?!
the .ile at Mem#his! the #arhed Ar%olides'>E0? +n this &i&id e#isode o" "er&ent reati&e ins#iration!
DAnnunzios artist wor)s with his landsa#e to reah his artisti %oal' 2or this reason 3telio &alues
,enie and her landsa#es so hi%hly* @+ do not )now o" another #lae >H? where a stron% and
ambitious s#irit an >H? so ex#et the ati&e #ower o" his intellet and all o" those ener%ies o" his
bein%! to be inited to a su#erhuman de%ree'>E1?
Ashenbahs e#isode o" reati&e #rodution! the only one we witness! is also aided by the ,enetian
landsa#e' +n Ashenbahs ase! howe&er! the landsa#e seems to at less bene&olently!
#resentin% the ob-et o" his illiit and ina##ro#riate desire to him in a way that seems to tease the
a%ein% writer! whilst still stimulatin% (brie=y) his reati&ity' Ashenbah wathes Tadzio on the
beah as @a wanton sun #oured a la&ish lustre onto him! and the noble distanes o" the sea was a
$lm and a ba)%round to his a##earane'>E2? The landsa#e interats with Tadzio! ensurin% that he
a##ears to Ashenbah in his most allurin% li%ht' <ust be"ore his reati&e outburst! Tadzio and the
landsa#e o/er an e&en more seduti&e &ision* Ashenbah %azes at @the noble $%ure there on the
ed%e o" the blue! and in ra#turous deli%ht he belie&ed to behold beauty itsel"'>ED? This entranin%
&ision tri%%ers thou%hts o" 7lato! o/erin% an insi%ht into Ashenbahs own inter#retation o" his
(e&er more sensual) desire' Alon% with the si%ht o" Tadzio! @"rom the rush o" the sea and the %lare o"
the sun he s#un himsel" a sublime ima%e'>EE? 6e sees an Athenian #lane! @that sared0shady #lae!
$lled with the sent o" herry =owers!>E9? a %entle %rassy slo#e with a lear0runnin% stream and
shady trees! in ontrast to the swelterin% ,enetian beah with its hea&y air and relentless heat' +n
this landsa#e Ashenbah sees 3orates and 7haedrus! @an elder with a youn%er>EF?4himsel" and
Tadzio' 2or this is how Ashenbah -usti$es his beha&iour to himsel"* To his mind! his desire "or
Tadzio is nothin% more sinister or sensual than the a/etionate and didati attentions o" a wise
teaher "or his #u#il' A"ter this &ision o" a balsami landsa#e! and the si%ht o" Tadzio in the
,enetian landsa#e! Ashenbah is om#elled to write and om#oses his most sublime #rose4e&en
i" it is only one and a hal" #a%es lon%! and his last artisti out#ut'
This is not the $rst time that Ashenbah has been trans#orted to an ima%ined inner landsa#e' <ust
as the ,enetian beah is trans$%ured into a landsa#e that mathes Ashenbahs (deluded)
mental state! so we witness his halluinations o" a wild and exoti landsa#e when he is stru)
by Wanderlust' Ta)in% a wal) throu%h Munih he #auses to onsider an @exoti>EG? stran%er in the
emetery %rounds' Ashenbah beomes lost in his thou%hts! sensin% @a stran%e ex#ansion o" his
interior >H?! a )ind o" ro&in% unrest! a youth"ully thirsty desire "or the "ar0o/'>E8? 6e sees @a
tremendous landsa#e! a tro#ial marshland under a thi)ly &a#orous s)y! dam#! lush and
unwholesome! a deserted #rimordial wilderness o" islands! morasses!>E9? "ull o" @hairy #alm trun)s
and lush &e%etation' A ti%er rouhes in a thi)et and @on the sta%nant! %reen0shadowed! mirrorin%
=ood =oated mil)0white =owers! as bi% as dishes'>90? The exoti landsa#e re=ets Ashenbahs
need "or a han%e o" seneryC its #rimordial wildness su%%ests the arousal o" #rimiti&e im#ulses
(the Dionysian) within this ontrolled haraterC the #halli tree trun)s "oreshadow an imminent
sexual ex#erieneC and the ti%er hints at lur)in% dan%ers' 3e&eral "eatures (the islands and water)
reall ,enie and se&eral hint at an eastern loation! alludin% to Dionysuss su##osed historial
ori%in' As Aeed notes! Ashenbah may not ma)e it all the way to the ti%ers!>91? but he will $nd
himsel" wanderin% south! to the sea! and into Dionysuss embrae'
+n The Flame! a similar use o" an ima%ined landsa#e to re=et the #rota%onists #syholo%y an
also be "ound' 3telios &i&id reati&e &isions exem#li"y this! where he $nds himsel" on"ronted with
anti1ue landsa#es ri#e "or translation and insertion into his modern tra%i wor)' 6e reounts one
o" his most intense &isions to his om#anion! in whih 3telio @beomes the arhaeolo%ist
3hliemann!>92? uno&erin% anient arte"ats at the site o" Myenae' The ob-ets #ulled "rom the
earth wor) on-ure u# a halluination o" an anient landsa#e "or 3hliemannN3telio*
a series o" tombs* $"teen intat bodies! >H? on a bed o" %old! their "aes o&ered with mas)s o"
%old! their "oreheads rowed with %old! their breasts bound with %oldC and e&erywhere! >H?
e&erywhere an abundane o" thin%s o" %old! innumerable as the lea&es that "all in a "airy0tale
"orestH>9D?
3telio beomes intoxiated by this mythial landsa#e and tries to transmit the li&in% ima%es he
sees to his om#anion! -ust as he will inor#orate these ima%es into his %reat artisti wor)' The
brilliane o" this &ision! with its abundant %old! #romises rih rewards to 3telio i" he a##lies himsel"
to his artisti mission' :&en the tombs do not s#oil the mood* they are not dusty and deayin% but
res#lendent and beauti"ul! #erha#s "oreshadowin% the awa)enin% o" anient tra%i traditions that
3telio will e/et! be"ore ada#tin% them "or the modern era'
This &ision o" an anient Myenaean landsa#e o#ens u# a new #oint o" disussion* namely! the use
o" mythial landsa#es in Death in Venice and The Flame' 5oth Mann and DAnnunzio ma)e
extensi&e use o" $%ures! e&ents! and #laes "rom lassial mytholo%y! and on se&eral oasions the
landsa#es be"ore Ashenbah and 3telio are mythially metamor#hosed' A%ain! this o"ten #ro&ides
insi%ht into the #rota%onists state o" mind' Ashenbah is subonsiously aware o" the de&iany o"
his desire! and loo)s "or #reedene and "amiliar "ramewor)s with whih to de"end his obsession' As
a lassial writer! he an turn to lassial soures "or reassurane' 6e asts himsel" and Tadzio in
ennoblin% roles suh as Oeus and Ganymede! and similarly obser&es the ,enetian landsa#es as
trans$%ured' The 1uotidian e&ents o" daybrea) and sunset under%o mythial metamor#hoses and
the landsa#e beomes a s#ae in whih Ashenbah an #ro-et his (subonsiously) %uilt0ridden
lassiism* A lassially0inter#reted sunrise allows Ashenbah to ima%ine himsel" in anient times!
where #ederasty was no shame"ul thin%' The sun beomes 6elioss hariot and 7oseidons horses
dri&e the wind' 6e wathes the sunrise! obser&in% @that $rst! sweet reddenin% o" the "arthest stri# o"
s)y and sea>9E? throu%h whih @the reation ma)es itsel" #ere#tible'>99? @Ihild0li)e louds!
trans"ormed! illuminated! ho&ered li)e attendant u#ids in the rosy! bluish haze>9F? and! as he
wathes on! @%olden s#ears strea)ed "rom below toward the hei%hts o" the s)y! the s#ar)le beame
a blaze! soundless! with %od0li)e &iolene %low and heat and blazin% =ames hea&ed themsel&es
u#wards'>9G? This trans"ormation o" the mundane into the mythial su%%ests that Ashenbahs
mind has been rendered ima%inati&e and artistially "ertile by his enounter with TadzioC it is
Ashenbahs "ailure to hannel suh #otential into reati&e out#ut that is his tra%edy' +nstead! he
allows himsel" to luxuriate lazily in "ani"ul ima%inin%s! #re"errin% to )ee# his eyes on Tadzio rather
than his hand on the #en'
2or DAnnunzios artist! the lassial world holds the )ey to an artistially re-u&enated "uture and a
reawa)enin% o" anient $%ures and landsa#es will stimulate 3telios reati&ity to ahie&e this'
Bhen 3telio alludes to Gree) mytholo%y! he ex#erienes an artisti "eundity o" the mind similar to
Ashenbahs! but in 3telios ase! reati&e #otential will be realised' Bhen the ,enetian landsa#e
a##ears to him as lassially ins#ired! we there"ore sense imminent #roduti&ity rather than
Ashenbahs idle "antasies' 3hortly be"ore %i&in% a s#eeh on the artisti aJnity o" ,enie and the
need to rea#ture the %lory o" the #ast! 3telio obser&es the 3alute! whih beomes the domain o"
the #a%an sea0%od*
the ota%onal tem#le >H? emer%ed "rom its own blue0%reen shadow! with its dome! its s#irals! its
statues! its olumns! its balustrades! sum#tuous and stran%e li)e a buildin% o" .e#tune onstruted
in the li)eness o" the twisted marine olumns! whitened as mother o" #earl'>98?
3alt and water ha&e s#read o&er it! reatin% @in the ona&ity o" the stone somethin% "resh! o" sil&er
and %em0li)e >H?! a &a%ue im#ression o" o#en oystershells'>99? The buildin% beomes .e#tunes
#alae! and its arhitetural "eatures suddenly re=et the "antastial nature o" .e#tunes realm'
Mi)e Ashenbah! 3telio inter#rets an e&eryday landsa#e as a &ision "rom anti1uity! illustrati&e o"
his artistially ati&e mind and the im#ortane he #laes u#on anient mytholo%y'
The mythial landsa#es Ashenbah sees testi"y to the intensi$ation o" his sel"0delusion and o" his
inreasin%ly more sinister desire* The stron%er his desire! the more "re1uently he turns to "amiliar
(and om"ortin%) lassial soures' At times! howe&er! mythial allusions o/er no solae' ;ne
a"ternoon Ashenbah deides to #ursue Tadzio and beomes lost in the @alleyways! waters! brid%es
and #iazzas o" the labyrinth!>F0? no lon%er able to tell north "rom south' @The onloo)er
>F1?
beomes
@the on"used one
>F2?
' Allusion to the labyrinth! the le%endary lair o" the minotaur! e&o)es a #erilous
and un"athomable landsa#e "rom whih there is no esa#e* Ashenbah is no Theseus! but rather
a hel#less and ondemned &itim sent down into the labyrinth to a##ease the sa&a%e beast' The
landsa#e exaerbates Ashenbahs torture! seemin% to ollude a%ainst him in his hase by hidin%
Tadzio "rom &iew* @the 7olish "amily had rossed a short ur&ed brid%e! the #ea) o" the ar hid them
"rom the #ursuer! and one he had limbed u#! he ould no lon%er diso&er them'>FD? 6a&in% one
#resented Tadzio to Ashenbah with the most "ethin% landsa#e as aom#animent! ,enie now
taunts Ashenbah by hidin% the o&eted ob-et "rom his %aze'
2osarina $nds hersel" in a similar situation when she beomes lost in the maze mentioned earlier'
The +talian word "or @maze is the same as the word used to denote the mythial labyrinth and so
DAnnunzios desri#tion arries the same lassial onnotations' The maze has beome
@o&er%rown! sad>FE? "rom ne%let! lost all re%ularity and! beome @a losed bush! between brown
and yellow! "ull o" im#enetrable ways! where the dia%onal rays o" the sunset here and there
reddened the lea&es! so that they a##eared to burn'>F9? As with Ashenbah! the laustro#hobi
labyrinth arries an element o" dan%er* @she ould see nothin% but the multi#le and re%ular maze o"
ways>FF? and in exas#eration 2osarina loo)s u# at the s)y that @ur&ed immense and #ure o&er
the two walls o" branhes in whih she was #risoner'>FG? 2osarina beomes as lost as Ashenbah
and as "e&erishly a"raid' 3o hostile is this landsa#e that she annot @se#arate in her mind the
reality o" the #lae "rom the ima%e o" her inner torment'>F8?
The mythially inter#reted landsa#es enountered by Ashenbah! 3telio! and 2osarina
demonstrate artisti dis#ositions and reati&e #otential' Bhilst Ashenbahs #otential to reate
dissi#ates alon% with the hei%htenin% o" his desire! 3telio sueeds in sublimatin% his sexual ur%es
"or the sa)e o" art and #roduti&ity' This is illustrated se&eral times by the ,enetian landsa#e!
whih o/ers deay! entra#ment! and im#oteny! but also a hint o" o#timism "or the "uture' +t seems
that ,enies deathly elements! li)e those o" Dionysus! will not o&er#ower 3telio! whose
su#erhuman artisti #rowess enables him to sublimate suh dan%ers and e&en inor#orate their
ex#ression into his art' As 2elie notes! 3telio inhabits @a ,enie that is not always a Dionysian ity
o" Mi"eC but exatly this "unereal desert was introdued as a onsious strate%y to %i&e &alue to the
temerarious &itality o" the hero'>F9? 3telio notes that while ,enie may a##ear dead and withered!
@my "eelin%s did not deei&e me when + #erei&ed that she was labourin% in seret with a li"e0"ore
suJient to renew the most anient wonders'>G0?
Bhen 3telio be%ins to beome im#atient to return to his wor)! he enounters an aus#iious sene*
the s1ualid anal0ban)s! the rumbled stones! the #utrid roots! the traes o" destruti&e wor)s! the
odours o" dissolution! the "unereal y#resses! the bla) rosses >H?' 3tron%er than all the si%ns!
only that son% o" "reedom and &itory ould touh the heart o" he who had to reate with -oy'
P;nwardsL ;nwardsL 6i%her! e&en hi%herLQ>G1?
A deayin% landsa#e annot 1uenh 3telios reati&e dri&e4rather! he embraes the destrution
and de%radation as #art o" li"es endless Dionysian yle o" death and renewal! reation and
destrution' The deathly landsa#es that sedue Ashenbah and lull him into inertia hold less
#ower o&er DAnnunzios superuomo' Ion"ronted with a similar sene o" deline shortly a"terwards!
3telios irre#ressible re&italised reati&ity masters one a%ain* @a dee# enhantment li)e an estasy
rendered the desert blessed'>G2? 3uh sentiments are absent "rom Death in Venice, where the
deathly landsa#es deli&er exatly what they #romise'
At the heart o" Death in Venice and The Flame we $nd a "ore that binds to%ether the im#ulses o"
death! art! desire! lassiism! and abandon that onstitute the #rota%onists ex#eriene' This is the
Dionysian! stron%ly reminisent o" .ietzshes a##ro#riation o" the deity! tri%%erin% loss0o"0ontrol!
intoxiation! lientiousness! and wantonness in his initiates' .ietzshe ham#ions a re0embrae o"
Dionysus in order to re-u&enate the sta%nant ultural landsa#e he #erei&es in his The Birth of
Tragedy(18G2) but warns that the #otentially destruti&e Dionysian re1uires sublimation throu%h
the A#ollonian in order to remain use"ul' 5oth Ashenbah and 3telio =irt with Dionysus but only the
latter sueeds in holdin% the unruly "ore in he)! whilst Ashenbah4who has #re&iously led an
(exessi&ely) A#ollonian existene o" ontrol! reser&e! and mon)0li)e routine4suumbs to a
wholesale embrae o" the Dionysian and the un#roduti&e sel"0"or%ettin% that this indues' Bithin
Manns and DAnnunzios &ersions o" ,enie we $nd Dionysian landsa#es hintin% at artisti "er&our
but warnin% o" the #rota%onists #roximity to dan%er'
The most sho)in% and ex#liit Dionysian landsa#e a##ears to Ashenbah in a dream shortly
a"ter his "ate"ul utterane o" @+ lo&e youL>GD? and immediately a"ter his diso&ery o" the holera
e#idemi (that he )ee#s seret "rom Tadzios mother)' .aturally! Ashenbah annot lea&e Tadzio
#rematurely and remains resident in the hotel! onsiously ris)in% his li"e' Ashenbahs dream
si%nals his utter embrae o" Dionysus and hene"orth he is a hel#less (but not unwillin%) &itim' The
dream be%ins with @"ear>GE? and a ni%ht0time sene' Rnsettlin% sounds herald the a##roah o" a
wild rowd o" re&ellers! worshi##ers o" @the stran%er %od >Dionysus?*>G9?
>s?mo)ey embers smouldered* he reo%nised a mountainous land! idential to that o" his summer0
house' And in the torn li%ht! "rom wooded hei%hts! between trun)s and mossy rumbled ro)s they
ame #ourin% down! lun%in% down reelin%* #eo#le! animals! a swarm! a lamorous horde! and
inundated the #lae with bodies! =ames! tumult and a swayin% irular dane'>GF?
The landsa#e is dominated by nature with whih Dionysus is stron%ly assoiated as a @%od o"
&e%etation>GG? si%nallin% Ashenbahs return to #rimordial elements' The riotous #a%an worshi# o"
the horde (whih en%a%es in sparagmos>G8?) su##orts this and we realise that the one0ontrolled
Ashenbah is surrenderin% to those most #rimiti&e! almost animalisti ener%ies that his ex#eriene
o" desire has aused to sur%e "orth' 6e now inhabits a @realm o" haos and sel"0ne%ation'>G9? The
summerhouse in the mountains mentioned by the narrator no lon%er suJes as a restorati&e
retreat "or Ashenbah* he has %one "ar beyond this and suh sim#le res#ites an no lon%er sa&e
him'
DAnnunzios Dionysian landsa#es remain %rounded in ,enie! the ity that is so ruial a
#artii#ant in 3telios reati&ity' A"ter 3telios oration! ,enie beomes a s#ae that re=ets the
initement o" Dionysian ener%ies! illustratin% the reati&ity that an be stimulated one Dionysus is
welomed ba) onto the ultural landsa#e' A"ter 3telios s#eeh a bahi horus arises "rom the
rowds! intoxiated by the s#ea)ers words' 3telio waits "or his boat obser&in% the landsa#e and @it
seemed that in that moment the Dionysian delirium! reallin% the burnin% o" anient woods on
sared ni%hts! had %i&en the si%nal "or the on=a%ration in whih the beauty o" ,enie ould be
%loriously res#lendent'>80? 2irewor)s and =ames li%ht u# the ,enetian ni%ht*
all the innumerable a##earanes o" the &olatile and multi0oloured 2lame extended itsel" aross the
s)y! they brushed the water! they wra##ed themsel&es in the masts o" the shi#s! %arlandin% the
domes and towers! deoratin% ornies! wreathin% the statues! be-ewellin% the a#itols! >H?
trans$%urin% e&ery as#et o" the sared or #ro"ane arhitetures within whose ourtyards the dee#
la%oon was li)e an enhantin% mirror that multi#lied the mar&els'>81?
The $rewor)s themsel&es! o" eastern ori%in! ould be a re"erene to Dionysus and extra&a%ant
Dionysian #leasures* Their myriad olours e&o)e @#er"umes and s#ies>82? reatin% a landsa#e o"
exoti sensory deli%hts in abundane' The mood a"ter 3telios s#eeh is o#timisti* The rowds ha&e
res#onded #ositi&ely to his alls "or artisti re-u&enation and welome Dionysus ba) to ,enie with
their delirious s#ontaneous horus' The sinister notes o" Manns Dionysian landsa#e in
Ashenbahs dream are absent here! #erha#s beause DAnnunzios artist is the
artisti superuomo to whom suh dan%ers #ose no real threat'
Bith suh Dionysian landsa#es in mind it is worth onsiderin% where we may $nd A#ollo' The
landsa#e o" li%ht and lear arhiteture o" Ashenbahs arri&al>8D?seems A#ollonian! as do the
statues litterin% DAnnunzios desri#tions'>8E? (et in Manns ,enie! re=etin% Ashenbahs shi"t
"rom A#ollonian to Dionysian! A#ollonian "eatures 1ui)ly reede in the Dionysian landsa#es that
emer%e' +n DAnnunzios ,enie the statues a##ear! on loser ins#etion! li"eless and "or%otten!
>89? and the A#ollonian as#ets o" the landsa#e in %eneral are dila#idated' The lon%0ne%leted
Dionysian now seems the more ati&e im#ulse here! in&i%oratin% ,enie with a Dionysian "renzy
that re)indles artisti #assion' 7erha#s one the Dionysian is embraed a%ain! and the artisti
landsa#e re-u&enated! the harmonious balane o" A#ollo and Dionysus will one a%ain reate true
art'>8F? +n both texts! the ,enetian landsa#e dis#lays A#ollonian "eatures o&ershadowed by an
emer%in% Dionysian dominaneC "or DAnnunzio this seems to "oretell the reoniliation o" these
ener%ies! but in Ashenbahs ase we understand that his embrae o" the Dionysian will #ro&e
irre&ersible and "atal'
As #roo" o" 3telios a#aity to o&erome the obstales he enounters and to rei%n in those
im#ulses o" desire and Dionysian abandon that -eo#ardise his artisti suess! one o" the $nal
landsa#es o" The Flame is an ima%ined one de#itin% the theatre 3telio wishes to build as +talys
answer to 5ayreuth' +m#atient "or omin% times o" %reat #roduti&ity! 3telio sees @the Aoman hill!
the %rowin% buildin%! the e&enness o" the ut stones! >H? the &i%ilant and stern arhitet! the bul)
o" the ,atian o##osite the Theatre o" A#ollo'>8G? .ature is abundant in this landsa#e and @one
hears nothin% but the son% o" birds! the roar o" "ountains! the murmur o" lea&es'>88? Mythial
nature0s#irits! inludin% om#anions o" Dionysus! are #resent and the #oet diserns @the #ulse o"
the 6amadryads and the breath o" 7an'>89? This is a lear indiation o" 3telios return to artisti
"ous and his trium#hant and #roduti&e harmony with Dionysus'
5y ontrast! the $nal landsa#e Mann desribes is #iti"ully ho#eless! #romisin% no redem#tion'
Ashenbah! e&er0solitary! wathes Tadzio a%ainst the @hazy0in$nity>90? o" the seasa#e and
ironially inter#rets his stane as an in&itin% %esture towards the @#romisin%0&astness'>91? 5ut the
#romise o" this immense s#ae is illusory! the $nal! and "atal! #art o" Ashenbahs sel"0dee#tion'
.aturally! Ashenbah @"ollows Tadzio and in "our rather dis#assionate lines we read o"
Ashenbahs de#arture "rom the world'
The ,enetian landsa#e ta)es on many %uises in the texts o" DAnnunzio and Mann and onstitutes
a substantial themati #arallel between them' +t beomes a &ital #art o" the #rota%onists ,enetian
existenes! ati&ely inter"erin% with their ex#erienes and in=uenin% their beha&iour and thou%hts'
De#loyed as a re=eti&e s#ae in both texts! it beomes a ruial )ey to understandin% the
haraters #syholo%ial de&elo#ment and re&eals whih "ore is li)ely to trium#h in the battle
between desire and reati&ity' Bith this artile + ho#e to ha&e demonstrated that The
Flame and Death in Venicewarrant "urther om#arati&e analysis and that the #arallels between
these two seldom0lin)ed texts run dee#er than may be assumed at $rst %lane'
>1? Bhile DAnnunzios wor)s embrae deadene! Manns o#inion o" the ultural #henomenon
seems more ambi%uous* but i" he disa##ro&ed o" deadene! he ertainly "elt om#elled to de#it
it'
>2? Iamille 7a%lia! Sexual ersonae! Art and Decadence from "efertiti to #mily Dic$inson ((ale* (ale
Rni&ersity 7ress! 2001)! #' 2D1'
>D? Da&id Beir! Decadence and the %a$ing of %odernism (Massahusetts* Rni&ersity o"
Massahusetts 7ress! 1999)! #' 10'
>E? Beir! #' ix'
>9? Beir! #' ix'
>F? Thomas Mann! Der Tod in Venedig in Fr&he #rz'hlungen (2ran)"urt am Main* 3' 2isher! 200E)! #'
9ED'
>G? Gabriele Dannunzio! (l fuoco (Milan* 2ratelli Tre&es! 1900)! #' FG'
>8? DAnnunzio! #' ED9'
>9? Mann! #' 9F9'
>10? Mann! #' 9E1'
>11? DAnnunzio! #' 99'
>12? DAnnunzio! #' D0'
>1D? Mann! #' 92D'
>1E? Mann! #' 92F'
>19? Mann! #' 9G9'
>1F? DAnnunzio! #' E9F'
>1G? DAnnunzio! #' E9F'
>18? Mann! #' 9G9'
>19? DAnnunzio! #' E10'
>20? DAnnunzio! #' E0F'
>21? DAnnunzio! #' E0G'
>22? Mann! #' 9FG'
>2D? Mann! #' 9FG'
>2E? Mann! #' 9FG'
>29? Mann! #' 990'
>2F? Mann! #' 922'
>2G? Mann! #' 922'
>28? Mann! #' 9FG' The ity is also desribed as bein% o" @irresistible a##eal (Mann! #' 91G) by the
ti)et seller on the boat to ,enie'
>29? DAnnunzio! #' 9'
>D0? DAnnunzio! #' FF'
>D1? DAnnunzio! #' FG'
>D2? Mann! #' 9DF'
>DD? Mann! #' 928'
>DE? The Iountess shuns soiety and )ee#s no mirrors! to hide her "adin% beauty "rom the world
and "rom hersel"'
>D9? DAnnunzio! #' 2D1'
>DF? DAnnunzio! #' 2D1'
>DG? 3telios #laement on a brid%e may be si%ni$antC we remember that .ietzshe li)ens man)ind
to @a brid%e leadin% to the )*ermenschC only su#erior indi&iduals an ross this brid%e'
>D8? DAnnunzio! #' 28D'
>D9? DAnnunzio! #' 2GF'
>E0? DAnnunzio! #' 28E'
>E1? DAnnunzio! #' 99'
>E2? Mann! #' 992'
>ED? Mann! #' 99D'
>EE? Mann! #' 99E'
>E9? Mann! #' 99E'
>EF? Mann! #' 99E'
>EG? Mann! #' 90D'
>E8? Mann! #' 90E'
>E9? Mann! #' 90E'
>90? Mann! #' 90E'
>91? 7hili# Aeed! ed'! +n %ahler and Britten (Aldebur%h* The 5oydell 7ress! 1999)! #' 2G0'
>92? 6einrih 3hliemann (188201890) was a German arhaeolo%ist most "amous "or uno&erin%
Myenae and what is re%arded as the site o" Troy'
>9D? DAnnunzio! #' 29D'
>9E? Mann! #' 999'
>99? Mann! #' 999'
>9F? Mann! #' 999'
>9G? Mann! #' 999'
>98? DAnnunzio! #' 10'
>99? DAnnunzio! #' 10'
>F0? Mann! #' 98F'
>F1? Mann! #' 992'
>F2? Mann! #' 9FG'
>FD? Mann! #' 98G'
>FE? DAnnunzio! #' D9E'
>F9? DAnnunzio! #' D9E'
>FF? DAnnunzio! #' D9G'
>FG? DAnnunzio! #' D98'
>F8? DAnnunzio! #' D98'
>F9? An%ela 2elie! (ntroduzione a D,Annunzio (5ari* :ditore Materza! 1991)! #' 9F'
>G0? DAnnunzio! #' FG'
>G1? DAnnunzio! #' 92F'
>G2? DAnnunzio! #' 9DF'
>GD? Mann! #' 9FD'
>GE? Mann! #' 982'
>G9? Mann! #' 982'
>GF? Mann! #' 982'
>GG? 6arold Billou%hby! agan -egeneration, A Study of %ystery (nitiations in the .raeco -oman
World (Ihia%o* Rni&ersity o" Ihia%o 7ress! 1929)! #' G0'
>G8? @3#ara%mos was an anient Dionysian ritual in&ol&in% the dismemberment o" a &itim! animal
or human! re0enatin% 7entheus dismemberment by the maenads' The =esh would sometimes be
de&oured raw'
>G9? 6annelore Mundt! /nderstanding Thomas %ann (Iolumbia* Rni&ersity o" 3outh Iarolina 7ress!
200E)! #' 9D'
>80? DAnnunzio! #' 129'
>81? DAnnunzio! #' 1D0'
>82? DAnnunzio! #' 1D2'
>8D? The narrator admires the @blindin% om#osition o" "antasti arhiteture (Mann! #' 922)'
>8E? 5e"ore enterin% the maze in whih she beomes lost! 2osarina omments @6ow many statuesL
(DAnnunzio! #' D91)'
>89? Myriad statues a##ear in the 3ty%ian landsa#e enountered a"ter the $aso in the maze* @li)e
the s#irits o" a &anished #eo#le! the statues #assed and #assed (DAnnunzio! #' E0G)'
>8F?
Bhen 3telio alls his Theatre o" A#ollo @harmonious (DAnnunzio! #' 92E)! it seems li)ely that this
harmony re"ers (at least #artly) to the #er"et balane o" A#ollo and Dionysus that "or .ietzshe
was so ruial "or the reation o" %reat art'
>8G? DAnnunzio! #' 92D'
>88? DAnnunzio! #' 929'
>89? DAnnunzio! #' 929'
>90? Mann! #' 992'
>91? Mann! #' 992'
Venice as a Cultural Center: According to Mann biographer Ulrich
Weisstein, Mann had a few different reasons for choosing Venice as his
main setting: Venice was a favorite resort of Thomas Mann. t reminded
him in man! wa!s of his native "#bec$. The bac$gro%nd of Venice fits
Aschenbach&s personalit! and death: The cit! has been an inspiration to
artists, painters as well as m%sicians' and it also is a d!ing cit! which has
lost m%ch of its ancient grande%r. (%ring the )enaissance, Venice was
home to remar$able painters s%ch as *iorgione, Titian, and Tintoretto.
And the architect%re of Venice is e+%all! memorable,combining the
pala--o la!o%ts common in the talian )enaissance with *othic windows
and towers, Moorish domes and arches, and .!-antine decorations.
/The .asilica of 0aint Mar$, a prime e1ample of man! of these feat%res, is
mentioned in Death in Venice itself.2 3et b! the earl! 45th cent%r!,the
period in which Death in Venice is set,the cit! had ceased to be a c%lt%ral
or commercial power, and had become a mon%ment to past artistic
accomplishments.

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