Summary
In his fourth week at the lido. Aschenbach finds out that the diminishing numbers of visitors are due to the spreading sickness of cholera. Aschenbach continues to follow the boy around Venice. Street singers come to the hotel. Aschenbach has a strange dream and he decides to make himself more presentable- visiting the barbers etc. Aschenbach begins to feel unwell and collapses on the beach. He is taken to his room and dies.
Character
“Mad compulsion” to follow polish boy
Begins to like the idea of adventure, of spontaneity, as apposed to his normal disciplined lifestyle.
Tadzio’s ‘Grey-haired lover’
Aschenbachs’ feelings towards Tadzio have grown still- “His head and his heart were drunk” “drunken ecstasy”
Aschenbach attempts to seek attention and impress Tadzio- “he wore jewellery and used scent, devoted long sessions to his toilet everyday.”
There isn’t so much full description of Tadzio himself during this final chapter, rather of how Aschenbach seeks him.
Themes & Motifs
Degeneracy
Suspicions
God
Love
The symbolic hourglass
Time
The sickness
Flames & fire
Youth & age
Shame & hopelessness
Colours
Beauty
Mythology
Personal response
Aschenbach seems to find a sick pleasure in questioning people about the ‘sickness’ because he knows that they must lie to him in order to keep the secret.
I picked out two rather interesting quotes from the book which stood out to me.
“This was Venice, the flattering and suspect beauty- the city, half fairy-tale and half tourist trap…to lulling tones of somniferous eroticism.”
“His eyes drinking in the sumptuousness, his ears wooed by these melodies”
I particularly liked the way Tadzio is described for the last time in the book. I could really picture how he was stood alone on the sandbar in the sea with Aschenbach watching him.
As a general overview of the book, I would say that I have enjoyed it. As the book progressed I began to understand Aschenbach’s character. I also liked the descriptions especially of the setting of Venice itself. Mann is clever in an understated way. He does not try too hard to be impressive, it appears to be effortless and somehow although there is scarcely any dialogue, the novella just seamlessly flows.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
Chapter Four
Summary
Aschenbach spends hours each day watching Tadzio. They begin to lock eyes every so often. On a chance encounter Aschenbach can not hide his ‘joy’, this does not go unmissed and Tadzio smiles at him.
Character
Aschenbach- obsessive. ‘Intoxicated’ with love. Describes Tadzio to be ‘more beautiful than words can express’. Aschenbach seems to be loosing his rigidness, he occasionally mutters to himself, something he would never have done before he met Tadzio.
Tadzio- deliberately walks past Aschenbach in the mornings. Aschenbach constantly describes him as being pale, and yet this seems to attract him even more.
Themes & Motifs
Religious imagery- particularly words such as ‘god-like’ ‘divinity’ ‘power’ ‘heaven’
Beauty- ‘eternal beauty’, ‘only beauty is at one and the same time divinely desirable and visible’.
Discipline.
Weak vs. strong
Emotions
Death- ‘ghostly twilight’, ‘dying star’
Love- ‘I love you’
Sensuality
Flowers
Colours- crimson, vermillion, violet, golden, colourful
Light and darkness
Escape.
Personal response
It is clear just how obsessive Aschenbach has become. He ‘judges his day to be over’ when Tadzio goes to bed at nine o’clock. The descriptions and the imagery have become more vivid and enriched with colour and vibrancy. In comparison to earlier chapters this seems more real. The descriptions have more life and I am left feeling more involved.
Aschenbach spends hours each day watching Tadzio. They begin to lock eyes every so often. On a chance encounter Aschenbach can not hide his ‘joy’, this does not go unmissed and Tadzio smiles at him.
Character
Aschenbach- obsessive. ‘Intoxicated’ with love. Describes Tadzio to be ‘more beautiful than words can express’. Aschenbach seems to be loosing his rigidness, he occasionally mutters to himself, something he would never have done before he met Tadzio.
Tadzio- deliberately walks past Aschenbach in the mornings. Aschenbach constantly describes him as being pale, and yet this seems to attract him even more.
Themes & Motifs
Religious imagery- particularly words such as ‘god-like’ ‘divinity’ ‘power’ ‘heaven’
Beauty- ‘eternal beauty’, ‘only beauty is at one and the same time divinely desirable and visible’.
Discipline.
Weak vs. strong
Emotions
Death- ‘ghostly twilight’, ‘dying star’
Love- ‘I love you’
Sensuality
Flowers
Colours- crimson, vermillion, violet, golden, colourful
Light and darkness
Escape.
Personal response
It is clear just how obsessive Aschenbach has become. He ‘judges his day to be over’ when Tadzio goes to bed at nine o’clock. The descriptions and the imagery have become more vivid and enriched with colour and vibrancy. In comparison to earlier chapters this seems more real. The descriptions have more life and I am left feeling more involved.
Chapter Three
Summary
Goes to Pola.
Leaves the island for Venice
Aschenbach and the illicit Gondolier
The Hotel Excelsior and observations of the guests.
The polish family and the ‘entirely beautiful boy’.
Aschenbach to leave Venice
Confusion with the luggage.
Aschenbach stays.
Character
Aschenbach appears more sinister in this chapter. He becomes fixated with Tadzio- a young polish boy. This is obviously very strange, taking into consideration Aschenbach’s sex and age. We are introduced to the character Tadzio. Although there is no exchange of speech between himself and Aschenbach, much of the chapter focuses on pure description of him.
Themes & Motif
Greek mythology becomes more apparent as he likens Tadzio to a god on numerous occasions. Acceptance is also a theme particularly as Aschenbach realises how he feels for Tadzio and there is a ‘calm acceptance’ of this. Contrast is used in this chapter. We see the contrast between Aschenbach and Tadzio, and most clearly in the contrast between Tadzio and his sisters.
Personal Response
I find Aschenbachs’ fixation of the young polish boy quite disturbing, this helped along by the lengthy descriptions in which he describes him with almost female like physicality’s. Something seems to have changed Aschenbach, perhaps the move to the Venetian setting.
Goes to Pola.
Leaves the island for Venice
Aschenbach and the illicit Gondolier
The Hotel Excelsior and observations of the guests.
The polish family and the ‘entirely beautiful boy’.
Aschenbach to leave Venice
Confusion with the luggage.
Aschenbach stays.
Character
Aschenbach appears more sinister in this chapter. He becomes fixated with Tadzio- a young polish boy. This is obviously very strange, taking into consideration Aschenbach’s sex and age. We are introduced to the character Tadzio. Although there is no exchange of speech between himself and Aschenbach, much of the chapter focuses on pure description of him.
Themes & Motif
Greek mythology becomes more apparent as he likens Tadzio to a god on numerous occasions. Acceptance is also a theme particularly as Aschenbach realises how he feels for Tadzio and there is a ‘calm acceptance’ of this. Contrast is used in this chapter. We see the contrast between Aschenbach and Tadzio, and most clearly in the contrast between Tadzio and his sisters.
Personal Response
I find Aschenbachs’ fixation of the young polish boy quite disturbing, this helped along by the lengthy descriptions in which he describes him with almost female like physicality’s. Something seems to have changed Aschenbach, perhaps the move to the Venetian setting.
Chapter Two.
Summary
Learn of Aschenbach’s upbringing
Receive a detailed description of his mental state as apposed to physical.
Character
We are presented with a chapter which gives great emphasis to Aschenbach’s past life, his childhood, the reason he thinks and his philosophical rooting.
Themes & Motifs
The obvious theme running through this section of the novella is family and life. Travel is also a motif which has become more frequent particularly when towards the end of the chapter he talks of his frequent moving to different places, until he settles in Munich, - “after a few restless years of experimental living in different places, he soon chose Munich…”
Personal Response
I am warming to Mann’s style of writing; however I am sure that I would find this book more enjoyable if there was more dialogue. Once again the descriptions, particularly of Aschenbach himself are intriguing and I rather enjoy the way he uses questions repeatedly almost as if he were talking to himself.
Learn of Aschenbach’s upbringing
Receive a detailed description of his mental state as apposed to physical.
Character
We are presented with a chapter which gives great emphasis to Aschenbach’s past life, his childhood, the reason he thinks and his philosophical rooting.
Themes & Motifs
The obvious theme running through this section of the novella is family and life. Travel is also a motif which has become more frequent particularly when towards the end of the chapter he talks of his frequent moving to different places, until he settles in Munich, - “after a few restless years of experimental living in different places, he soon chose Munich…”
Personal Response
I am warming to Mann’s style of writing; however I am sure that I would find this book more enjoyable if there was more dialogue. Once again the descriptions, particularly of Aschenbach himself are intriguing and I rather enjoy the way he uses questions repeatedly almost as if he were talking to himself.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Death in Venice chapter one
Death in Venice
Summary
Set in Munich in the early 1900’s
We are introduced to Gustav Aschenbach
Description of the strange looking man
Decides he wants to travel to foreign lands
Character
Within the first few lines of the novel we are introduced to what appears to be one of the only characters in the first part of this novella. We learn that he is a middle-aged writer and get the impression that Gustav is a rather distinguished intellectual, whose work seems to be an important part of his life
Themes & Motifs
The strange looking man
Death
Beauty/unattractiveness
Personal response
On the whole I think that apart from descriptions of the surroundings and of the strange looking man the first part doesn’t seem to offer very much in the way of a storyline. I would almost go as far to say that parts of this first chapter seem to be completely pointless. However one part which was particularly memorable to me was the description of the ‘tropical swampland’, this was especially interesting because of the way in which Mann describes the jungle. I thought that the description of the cloud-swollen sky was rather effective because he described it as being ‘moist and lush’ and yet ‘monstrous’. The entirety of the description conjures images of beauty flourishing from unattractiveness- ‘from rank jungles of fern, from among thick fleshy plants in exuberant flower’. This also could link with the theme of death. The exuberant flowering plant is a symbol of life whereas the rank jungle of ferns is death- a contrast between the two. The reason I chose death as a theme is because of the gravestones Aschenbach describes. Overall this chapter has left me in two minds because although I enjoyed the descriptions of the ‘tropical swampland’ and the oddity of the strange man, I am not sure as to whether I like the writing style of Mann.
Summary
Set in Munich in the early 1900’s
We are introduced to Gustav Aschenbach
Description of the strange looking man
Decides he wants to travel to foreign lands
Character
Within the first few lines of the novel we are introduced to what appears to be one of the only characters in the first part of this novella. We learn that he is a middle-aged writer and get the impression that Gustav is a rather distinguished intellectual, whose work seems to be an important part of his life
Themes & Motifs
The strange looking man
Death
Beauty/unattractiveness
Personal response
On the whole I think that apart from descriptions of the surroundings and of the strange looking man the first part doesn’t seem to offer very much in the way of a storyline. I would almost go as far to say that parts of this first chapter seem to be completely pointless. However one part which was particularly memorable to me was the description of the ‘tropical swampland’, this was especially interesting because of the way in which Mann describes the jungle. I thought that the description of the cloud-swollen sky was rather effective because he described it as being ‘moist and lush’ and yet ‘monstrous’. The entirety of the description conjures images of beauty flourishing from unattractiveness- ‘from rank jungles of fern, from among thick fleshy plants in exuberant flower’. This also could link with the theme of death. The exuberant flowering plant is a symbol of life whereas the rank jungle of ferns is death- a contrast between the two. The reason I chose death as a theme is because of the gravestones Aschenbach describes. Overall this chapter has left me in two minds because although I enjoyed the descriptions of the ‘tropical swampland’ and the oddity of the strange man, I am not sure as to whether I like the writing style of Mann.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Review of the Unbearable Lightness Of Being
Review of The unbearable lightness of being
The unbearable lightness of being- a love story, a novel of love and obsession or a philosophical wonderment? Whichever you decide you can be assured that, with clever coincidences and the heavy reliance in philosophy this is a novel which promises a journey in which you will question many ideas and visit your own.
This is the tale of a Prague physician, Tomas, who with his wife Tereza escapes to Zurich in 1968. When Tomas and his infidelities drive his wife away and force her to return to Prague he follows her. After publishing a piece in a newspaper Tomas loses his license to practice medicine and he decides to become a window washer. Yet he decides for now that he is happier for a while in a job he doesn't have to think about. In the meantime, his philandering increases. We as the reader are left to wonder whether it is weakness or strength that keeps them together. Kundera's narrator explores these and other vital questions of being throughout the novel.
In this novel Kundera uses characters to ponder a number of meaningful questions, yet even so these characters are intriguing and manage to hold the attentions of the reader well. Within this novel kundera explores choice, he ponders the choices people make and how it comes about. Kunderas’ main aim in this book seems to me to be the exploration of human existence, in which he views the world with ideas of lightness and weight. In each sense he uses the ideas of well known philosophers. Parmenides viewed the world divided into pairs of opposites- light/darkness, fineness/coarseness, warmth/cold, being/non being. He believed the most ambiguous, most mysterious certainty of all to be the opposition of lightness and weight. And it is exactly this that Kundera appears to be searching for the answers to throughout the novel.
There are four different characters in the book. Together, weighted in different ways, they can almost describe every person. They feel and interpret emotions and situations in different ways- everyone offers their own point of view. The reasoning for this is that everything must be seen from a relative point of view. We learn to always keep in mind that something can appear very differently when seen from a different perspective. This novel also seems to have many different layers and presents a number of different perspectives. Kundera does not merely scratch the surface of meaning, yet instead he delves deep within, exploring many possible explanations for the answers to previously unanswerable questions.
Themes are important to this novel and some contrast one another- optimism and pessimism, lightness and weight. An example of an important motif which is referred to on a number of occasions throughout the novel is of Tereza as the ‘baby in the bulrush basket’. What is interesting is that the different characters also represent different extremes. Franz and Sabina represent the extremes of heaviness and lightness, Sabina is so light that she betrays him and she reacts to heaviness with instinctive dislike. Franz, the man she almost loves, is supremely heavy. We are shown two couples who both carry one light and one heavy person but each couple choose completely different paths. Kundera explores each of these different paths. Tomas and Tereza decide to stay together; Sabina and Franz part ways. We learn a lot about relationships during the novel and see contrasts between the two couples as they choose their different paths. We learn that Franz and Sabina are incompatible and don’t have a lot of history together, yet on the other hand Tomas understands Sabina and I get the sense that she wants Franz to be more like him. Franz and Sabina each have a history without one another and certain subjects provoke disagreements.
A beautifully written book, the unbearable lightness of being is both sensual and intellectual and I would recommend it to anyone who is seeking a novel which is both enlightening and refreshing.
The unbearable lightness of being- a love story, a novel of love and obsession or a philosophical wonderment? Whichever you decide you can be assured that, with clever coincidences and the heavy reliance in philosophy this is a novel which promises a journey in which you will question many ideas and visit your own.
This is the tale of a Prague physician, Tomas, who with his wife Tereza escapes to Zurich in 1968. When Tomas and his infidelities drive his wife away and force her to return to Prague he follows her. After publishing a piece in a newspaper Tomas loses his license to practice medicine and he decides to become a window washer. Yet he decides for now that he is happier for a while in a job he doesn't have to think about. In the meantime, his philandering increases. We as the reader are left to wonder whether it is weakness or strength that keeps them together. Kundera's narrator explores these and other vital questions of being throughout the novel.
In this novel Kundera uses characters to ponder a number of meaningful questions, yet even so these characters are intriguing and manage to hold the attentions of the reader well. Within this novel kundera explores choice, he ponders the choices people make and how it comes about. Kunderas’ main aim in this book seems to me to be the exploration of human existence, in which he views the world with ideas of lightness and weight. In each sense he uses the ideas of well known philosophers. Parmenides viewed the world divided into pairs of opposites- light/darkness, fineness/coarseness, warmth/cold, being/non being. He believed the most ambiguous, most mysterious certainty of all to be the opposition of lightness and weight. And it is exactly this that Kundera appears to be searching for the answers to throughout the novel.
There are four different characters in the book. Together, weighted in different ways, they can almost describe every person. They feel and interpret emotions and situations in different ways- everyone offers their own point of view. The reasoning for this is that everything must be seen from a relative point of view. We learn to always keep in mind that something can appear very differently when seen from a different perspective. This novel also seems to have many different layers and presents a number of different perspectives. Kundera does not merely scratch the surface of meaning, yet instead he delves deep within, exploring many possible explanations for the answers to previously unanswerable questions.
Themes are important to this novel and some contrast one another- optimism and pessimism, lightness and weight. An example of an important motif which is referred to on a number of occasions throughout the novel is of Tereza as the ‘baby in the bulrush basket’. What is interesting is that the different characters also represent different extremes. Franz and Sabina represent the extremes of heaviness and lightness, Sabina is so light that she betrays him and she reacts to heaviness with instinctive dislike. Franz, the man she almost loves, is supremely heavy. We are shown two couples who both carry one light and one heavy person but each couple choose completely different paths. Kundera explores each of these different paths. Tomas and Tereza decide to stay together; Sabina and Franz part ways. We learn a lot about relationships during the novel and see contrasts between the two couples as they choose their different paths. We learn that Franz and Sabina are incompatible and don’t have a lot of history together, yet on the other hand Tomas understands Sabina and I get the sense that she wants Franz to be more like him. Franz and Sabina each have a history without one another and certain subjects provoke disagreements.
A beautifully written book, the unbearable lightness of being is both sensual and intellectual and I would recommend it to anyone who is seeking a novel which is both enlightening and refreshing.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Part 5- Lightness and Weight, 2
Part Five- Lightness and weight, 2
Summary
Tereza’s unexpected visit to Tomas in Prague and the story of Oedipus.
The communists and Tomas’ letter to the weekly.
Tomas and the chief surgeon discuss Tomas ‘retraction’
Reaction to the retraction.
The country clinic and the visit of the man from the Ministry of the Interior.
The second visit from the man from the Ministry of the Interior
Es muss sein- love or profession?
The story behind Beethoven’s ‘Muss es sein? Es muss sein!’ motif and Tomas’ ‘long holiday’.
The reason for Tomas’ pursuit of women.
The two categories for womanisers and the curious women.
Tomas sleeps with the curious women.
Love and un-love and poetic memory.
Tomas’ son, the editor and the petition for political amnesty.
Images of Tereza and the decision not to sign the petition.
The published petition and the destruction of the Czech nation.
Addendum to the preceding chapter- planets, optimism and pessimism.
The physical and mental tiredness of Tomas.
Tereza’s nightmare.
The soaring death rate and the biologists’ funeral.
An encounter with ‘s’.
Tomas and Tereza discuss moving to the country.
The clockwork of the head.
Tomas’ ‘es muss sein’ of his love.
The themes which run throughout this part of the novel influence the characters on a deeper emotional level. Themes of love and sex, optimism and pessimism, lightness and weight are apparent. It is interesting to see how these themes link and contrast one another. The motif of Tereza as the ‘baby in the bulrush basket’ is used heavily during this part of the story and also Oedipus frequently arises, this perhaps most importantly because it is this that opened part five of the novel.
The character of Tomas is becoming almost unbalanced. By this I mean his physical and mental state is beginning to deteriorate. By the end of two years of the ‘long holiday’ it seems he is physically strained, this is particularly highlighted in chapter 17 in an episode in which he does not recognise one of his mistresses. “This episode both amused and horrified him: it proved that he was as tired mentally as physically.”
I am beginning to dislike Tomas’ character as it seems that he cannot make up his mind with Tereza and I think that it is unfair for her to have to be put through so much pain when it could be easily put to an end. If Tomas could just move to the country like Tereza suggested then in my opinion it would be a good situation for both of them. “We’d be alone there… And we’d be getting back to nature. Nature is the same as it always was.” Tomas wouldn’t have to worry so much about the secret police and Tereza could be happy knowing that she was the only women that Tomas wanted. Why can Tomas not just leave the city and his mistresses behind and care for the women he loves?
Also it seems that Tomas’ mental strains are taking affect on his sleep. He is now suffering from strange dreams as well as Tereza. I think that although he feels the need to find these unique women to sleep with, it is making him mentally unstable. One minute he seems to feel deeply for Tereza and the next he is hurting her again.
My favourite quote from this part of the novel comes In the penultimate page of this part and is Tomas talking of the famous myth from “Plato’s Symposium: people were hermaphrodites until God split them in two, and now all the halves wonder the world over seeking one another. Love is the longing for the half of ourselves we have lost.” I think it is both a beautiful and interesting way to describe love.
I think what is interesting about the part of the novel is that although primarily it is set in Prague, within this country we are taken to many houses and offices. This perhaps reflects the mental state of Tomas as he seems emotionally confused.
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