VENİCE AS A HETEROTOPIA
BİR HETEROTOPYA OLARAK VENEDİK

Author : Kadir ALBAYRAK
Number of pages : 221-232

Abstract

Thomas Mann is one of the most important writers of German literature. In this study, Thomas Mann's work “Death in Venice” is examined on a spatial and corporal basis. In his work “Death in Venice”, Thomas Mann describes Gustav von Aschenbach's travel to Venice to break the vicious circle of producing a new work. Tadzio whom Aschenbach meets in Venice, makes a different impact on the artist's soul. Two concepts stand out in the work: Space and Body. Venice is an important place that prepares the end of the artist with its historical and geographical background. The body of Tadzio, described by Aschenbach as a divine reflection of form, keeps Aschenbach in the city. In spite of the Indian cholera spread in Venice, Aschenbach does not leave the city and eventually loses his life there. In this study, Mann's Work has been examined in the context of Heterotopia and Utopian Body work of Foucault. In the light of the theoretical basis of these studies, it has been concluded that the depictions and the epidemics have transformed Venice into a heterotopy. Cholera, which leads to the death of Aschenbach and many people, turns the city of Venice into a cemetery heterotopy. The body of Tadzio, depicted in the perfection of a sculpture, manifests itself as the Utopian Body. At the end of the work Aschenbach tries to utopianize his own body with different applications, but he cannot be successful in this regard. As a result, it is seen that both the space and the body have a significant influence on the art and the end of Aschenbach.

Keywords

Thomas Mann, Death in Venice, Venice, Heterotopia, Utopian Body

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