Sigmund Freud and Mann’s Death in Venice

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Sigmund Freud and Mann’s Death in Venice
Sigmund Freud’s theories and concepts in psychology are a notable influence in historical literature. His psychoanalytic theory introduces the concept of the human mind divided into the id, ego, and super-ego. In Death in Venice by Thomas Mann, the character of Gustav von Aschenbach depicts the Eros-Thanatos theme in the text (Slochower 257). Freud identified love as a by-product of Eros with death the inevitable result of various activities such as The theme manifests in Aschenbach’s inner struggle between his id and superego while pursuing his heart’s desire for beauty and romanticism.
Sax (54) notes that at the time Mann compiled the story, Freud influence was felt through both the transformation in psychology and European works. Mann’s understanding of Freud’s works noting the ideology that children are sexual. This transformed the character of the children’s Eros for writers such as Mann (Sax 54). Aschenbach’s comparison of Tadzio’s smile to that of Greek mythology’s Narcissus reveals this Freudian influence (Mann 95). Narcissus, a Greek Adonis, fell in love with his reflection.
Aschenbach depicts the conflict between the Freudian ‘id’ and super-ego’ (Deb 84). Aschenbach develops a fascination for the young Tadzio’s attractiveness and dedicates a significant part of his vacation to pursuing his interest in the boy. The id is responsible for this reaction as he a…