I Read Therefore I Am discussion

Tell us what you thought of your Thomas Mann book choices here:

Read the title story of Death in Venice today: the writing is brilliant - I would like to read more of his stuff in the future; I'm not sure what I think of the story -It is certainly one that gets you thinking but I keep changing my conclusions!

Sounds great! I shall start reading this evening.

Nice one - I have about 3 conflicting theories so please let me know what you think!

Hoping to finish this today (honest) - starting a book club is great fun - the only downside is less time for reading! - I'm hoping that now things are sort of up and running I'll be back to my bookworm self.

Aww bless you - yes make sure you have time to read still!

Finished! After a bit of a slow start I really enjoyed this - I liked the way Mann kept the sense of unease and dread running through the story (view spoiler)[ and the way Achenbach kept being forewarned of what was going to happen - one of the saddest moments was when he turned into the horrible old/young man who had so disgusted him on the boat to Venice. What do you think the reappearing redheaded man signified? Oooh and what are your 3 theories?> (hide spoiler)]

Yes, you knew something was going to happen and that sense of impending doom was palpable. I think I have got my head round it now (sort of) (view spoiler)[ Auchenbach has gone all his life without really feeling any passion, he seems very cold and logical - especially for a so-called artist - so when he goes away to Venice and sees this beautiful young man he gets totally carried away by it. Now the bit I couldn't decide on was: does he experience this infatuation because his life has been without any real emotional content (his wife has been dead for a long time and he doesn't really seem to have anything to do with his family), or is he led towards it and then punished. I looked this story up and some critics have commented on the Greek symbolism - so Auchenbach is a follower of Apollo (metaphorically speaking) and having always denied the opposite - Dionysis, the god of wine and ecstasy etc - he is deliberately drawn into this obsession with Tadziu and which will lead to his death. I am inclined more towards the theory that he is led to it by forces outside as well as within himself cos I can't account for the mysterious red-haired man otherwise, and that feeling of unease seems to come from more than just Auchenbach himself (hide spoiler)]

Yes I agree - (view spoiler)[It almost seems like there are two outside forces - one leading to his obsession and death and one trying to warn and save him (I'm thinking of his distaste for the horrible old man on the boat and the illness he felt during his first couple of days in Venice ) (hide spoiler)] Have you read Don't Look Now (or seen the film) because the atmosphere of unease and premonition in that reminds me of this - I guess it was pretty heavily influenced by it)

Yes (view spoiler)[ he nearly gets away and then would probably have been fine but at the last minute decides to stay and from then on, it's just a matter of time (hide spoiler)]

What did you think about the end? (view spoiler)[ I found it a little ambiguous, yes he dies but the last thing he see's is Tadzio beckoning to him to following him out to sea which he was happy about (hide spoiler)]

I haven't seen/read Don't Look Now - is it Du Maurier?

Re the end - (view spoiler)[ is that just Ausenbachs final delusion - that Tadzio wants him too? (hide spoiler)]
Yes Don't Look Now is by Du Maurier - I haven't read the story but I love the film - perhaps I'll add it to my Du Maurier list for next month.

Yeah (view spoiler)[ earlier on he is thinking that Tadzio is looking at him and it's probably just his delusion - I very much doubt that the lad is actually eyeing him up!. (hide spoiler)]
On another note, I really need to read the rest of the stories in that volume as well.

I was thinking that too about Du Maurier as I will probably read The Birds and Other Stoires pretty quickly.

Yes me too (to both)

Just finished Death in Venice. Ummm! I normally enjoy writers of this era but I really didn't enjoy this. The continual discussion of "Art" and "Beauty" leaves me cold. Perhaps I simply don't understand it! I'm going to read a couple of the other stories in the compilation to see what I think. By the way how do you do the "spoiler" thing, for future posts I hope to make.

Yeah - I found the philosophy bits a bit draggy too though I really enjoyed the rest of it. Re spoilers - you just need to type (view spoiler)[ ( pointy brackets and all ) at the start of the bit you want to hide and <\spoiler> at the end. (hide spoiler)]

Sorry I've just created a spoiler while trying to explain how to create them!!! Let me try again! You just need to type "spoiler" inside pointy brackets < > at the start of the bit you want to hide and "/spoiler" inside pointy brackets at the end. Hope this makes sense!

Just finished Little Herr Friedmann. Much more to my taste.and for practice (view spoiler)[ I'm interested to see if all of the rest concern love gone wrong. Same sense of unease but I was shocked by the ending.<\spoiler> (hide spoiler)]

Excellent use of spoilers there - I shall try Little Herr Friedman soon

Read Little Herr Friedman - poor man - (view spoiler)[he was suppressing so much of his nature - that I wonder if he might have ended up destroying himself in some way even without the incident with Frau Commandant- was she really leading him on and generally provoking him do you think - or was it partly his imagination? (hide spoiler)]

I thought it was like Death in Venice, you could read it either way.