Venice – a lagoon city. There is hardly any city characterized by such opposite attributes as Venice. Many may think of Venice as the city of love and a jewel on the water, novels and films usually paint a different picture. The city often appears morbid, mysterious and dark. In winter and autumn, fog covers the entire city. Venice is used by many authors as a backdrop to create an environment of suspense and death. Venice is an allegory of death, decay and decay. The city itself represents the literary synonym for the deterioration of the architectural marvel. Venice represents the sensual south which contrasts sharply with Aschenbach's serious native Germany; moreover, the setting of Venice is symbolic in this short story. Aschenbach's physical journey from culture to culture and climate to climate parallels his inner descent from cool control to fiery passion. Venice in particular is symbolic for Aschenbach himself because Venice is famous for its exceptional and daring constructions. Built in the middle of a lagoon and preserved through sheer determination against the forces of Mother Nature. Much like Venice, Aschenbach believed that art could overcome physical needs and natural impulses, and he demonstrated this through his many art forms. Although Venice is beautiful, there is no denying that it is a city that is gradually sinking and deteriorating from within. This is once again the case of Aschenbach's morality. The use of Venice as a setting in Mann's work does not appear to be a coincidence. Mann's intention may have been to reinforce the atmosphere of atrophy and deterioration in Gustave Aschenbach's life with the underlying character of the city. The Venice used in this nov...... middle of paper ......o should be ignored; his travels ultimately result in desperate infatuation, mental torture, and death. I think Thomas Mann very intricately integrates the setting of Venice to bring out the theme of death and it's almost as if Venice is a whirlwind that Aschenbach gets sucked into and eventually results in the death of his art, then his own death. He gives Venice the convincing miasma of a city in decline, rotting but seducing its visitors and admirers, like Aschenbach and his art. He had lost his art and was tempted by memories of a previous visit to revive it in Venice. Yet truth and reality cannot be hidden forever and in Venice, Aschenbach finally encounters the reality of the city, his own mortality and the mortality of his art. Works Cited Page 167 of the Short Story – Death in Venice Page 190 of the Short Story – Death in Venice