Death in Venice

Death in Venice Summary | Part 1 Summary

Death in Venice is the story of author Gustave Aschenbach's Venice holiday, where he encounters an ethereal boy named Tadzio who will transform the waning days of his life and act as a companion in Aschenbach's transition into death.

As the story begins, Aschenbach, known now as von Aschenbach, sets out on a walk to enjoy the spring weather in hopes of being invigorated to continue writing later in the evening. Aschenbach suffers from a feeling of ennui and cannot keep in check what the ancient author Cicero calls motus animi continuus, or constant motion of the soul. Aschenbach's restlessness is exacerbated by his inability to sleep and the pervading tensions of the possibility of war in Europe.

Aschenbach's intentions to take a lengthy walk find him wandering past a mortuary chapel inscribed with religious sayings. As Aschenbach ponders the weight of the words engraved in the stone, he sees a man out of the corner of his eye. Aschenbach notices that the man has a pale complexion and reddish hair, marking him as not being Bavarian. The man wears a straw hat, carries a pack on his back, and seems thin with a prominent Adam's apple protruding from his long neck.

Suddenly aware that the man is staring back at him, Aschenbach moves on but is overcome with the urge to travel. Normally relegating travel to journeys of necessity, Aschenbach imagines all sorts of exotic scenarios in wildernesses and jungles where tigers hide in bamboo thickets.

Aschenbach pulls himself out of this reverie and focuses again on his work, musing that he may not live long enough to complete everything he hopes to. Lately Aschenbach has lost interest in the work and routines of his summerhouse, where he normally has found contentment.

On his way home on the tram, Aschenbach decides that a vacation will do his soul good. He decides to take a holiday, not going as far as where the tigers live, but far enough for a change of scenery. Out of the corner of his eye, Aschenbach looks for the strange man he encountered at the mortuary, but the man never reappears.