Abstract:

The novel Der Tod in Venedig by Thomas Mann depicts the crisis experienced by the writer Aschenbach at the beginning of the twentieth century and his failed attempt to find a new way. The protagonist’s experiences exemplify the searching and dilemmas of artists at the end of the century. By also considering other works by Thomas Mann, this paper analyzes the causes of the artist’s crisis in this novel and the reason that it cannot eventually be overcome according to two aspects, namely the influence of the success morality in civil society on artists and the liberating effect of decadence on the nature of artists. An artist has two opposing instincts, namely creative self-control and destructive indulgence. Influenced by success morality, the two opposing instincts can be seen as “the heroism born of weakness” in Aschenbach, or decadence. Exerting his self-control, Aschenbach devotes himself to art and pursues morality and form rather than knowledge, which leads to rigidity in his work. Drawing on mythology, Aschenbach turns to Eros to escape the crisis in his life and work; the artist’s indulgence is expressed completely via the influence of decadence, and ultimately causes his death. The opposition of the two instincts in artists causes decadent artists to be unable to overcome decadence and to become heroes to save the time.

Keywords: Thomas Mann; Der Tod in Venedig; artists’ instincts; crisis of artists; decadence; Eros

摘要：

托马斯·曼的小说《死于威尼斯》表现了作家阿申巴赫在20世纪初的创作危机中找寻出路却最终失败的过程，作品中主人公的经历体现了世纪末艺术家的求索和困境。本文结合托马斯·曼的其他作品，从市民社会的成功道德对艺术家的影响和颓废对艺术家本性的释放作用两个方面分析了作品中艺术家危机产生和最终无法被克服的原因。艺术家的本性中融合了严于律己和放荡不羁两种本能，在成功道德的影响下，它们在阿申巴赫身上表现为一种“虚弱的英雄主义”，即颓废。阿申巴赫以克己自律的精神献身于艺术，在艺术的道路上从追求认识发展到追求道德和形式，并最终陷入了艺术创作僵化的困境。他借助神话寻求爱欲来对抗艺术和生活中的危机，艺术家本性中的放荡不羁在颓废的影响下完全释放并最终导致了他的死亡。艺术家本性中这两种本能的对立使得颓废艺术家无法克服颓废成为挽救时代的英雄。

关键词: 托马斯·曼, 死于威尼斯, 艺术家本性, 艺术家危机, 颓废, 爱欲