Mythological Figures
Few works of modern literature are more chock full of mythological figures than Death in Venice. We've catalogued these references for you in the "Shout Outs" section, so we're not going to give a...
The Sun
Like a lot of symbols in Death in Venice, the sun motif recalls the philosophy and mythology of ancient Greece. Let's start by taking a look at the beginning of Chapter 4.Day after day now the god...
The Stranger God
Let's go back to Aschenbach's infamous stranger god dream. What is that all about? The "stranger, the enemy of the serene and dignified intellect," appears in Aschenbach's dream amidst an orgiastic...
Pederasty
On the most basic level, Death in Venice is about an older man who falls in love (or rather, lust) with a fourteen-year-old boy. That's what we call pedophilia—and it was no less shocking at the...
Cholera
Though Death in Venice doesn't reveal much about the epidemic that takes Aschenbach's life, we do find out that the disease is cholera. And you know what? That hint turns out to be pretty important...