R: Thomas Mann

[jbor]

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>From: "paolo beneforti" <paobenef at tin.it>
>
> 
>>The homosexuality in _Death in Venice_ is hardly "hidden" or "tricky"! It's
>>the entire *plot* for goodness' sake.
>
> of course it is so. and I would remember Luchino Visconti's film "La morte a
> Venezia" (starring Dirk Bogarde) in which homosexuality is shown more then
> in the novel. But homosex. is not the center of the novel, which importance
> and modernity are in the feeling of powerlessness and self-destruction.
>>

Yes it's the atmosphere of disease and decay, and the crumbling of von
Aschenbach's mind and personality, which is so powerful. A wonderful book,
and the movie is quite wonderful too. Dirk Bogarde reminds me of the later
Bowie (I caught a 1961 movie of Bogarde's, with Sylvia Syms, called
'Victim', in the wee small hours recently and was very struck by the
resemblance.)

>>One or two critics at least have cited Mann as a potential influence on
>>Pynchon.
>
> I think contents of Mann's books are not so far from Pynchon's ones. Not the
> same for the style, of course.

Yes, I think this is probably fair to say.
>
> (excuse my bad English)

Not at all: no linguistic elitism here. Welcome.

best