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Literary Devices
Definition of Allusion
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals, historical events, or philosophical ideas... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to... read full definition
Chapter 2
Explanation and Analysis—Saint Sebastian :
Mann alludes to Saint Sebastian, a third-century Christian martyr often depicted in art, in a passage that describes Aschenbach's literary career and his dedication to his art:
At an early stage in the author’s career, a clever analyst had written [...] that it was the concept “of an intellectual and youthful masculinity that grits its teeth in proud modesty and stands by calmly while its body is pierced by swords and spears.” That was elegant, witty and correct [...] because composure beneath blows of fate, graciousness in the midst of torment, does not signify mere endurance; it is an active achievement, a positive triumph, and the figure of Saint Sebastian is the most beautiful symbol, if not in all of art, then at least in the type of art we are discussing [...]
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Explanation and Analysis—Schiller :
In a passage that satirizes Mann's own literary career, Mann alludes to Friedrich Schiller, a notable figure in the history of German literature and philosophy. Summarizing the various (fictional) literary works written by Aschenbach, the narrator describes him as:
Unlock with LitCharts A+The author of the clear, powerful prose epic on the life of Frederick of Prussia; the patient artist who with untiring industry wove the novelistic tapestry called Maya, with its numerous characters, in which so many human destinies were gathered together to illustrate a grand idea; [...] finally (and this concludes the brief characterization of the works of his maturity), the writer of the passionate treatise Intellect and Art, a book whose power of organization and syllogistic eloquence led serious reviewers to place it immediately alongside Schiller’s disquisition on “naive” and “sentimental” literature—Gustav Aschenbach—was born in L., a district town in the province of Silesia [...]
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Chapter 3
Explanation and Analysis—The Boy with a Thorn :
Mann alludes to the famous Boy with a Thorn statue (sometimes also referred to as Spinario or Fedele) in a pivotal scene in which Aschenbach first observes Tadzio and his family at the hotel:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Softness and tenderness obviously presided over his existence. They had refrained from subjecting his beautiful hair to the shears; like that of the Boy with a Thorn, it curled over his forehead and ears and was even longer at the back of his neck. The laces, bows and embroidery on his English sailor suit, with its puffy sleeves that narrowed below and closed tightly around the delicate wrists of his still childlike but slim hands, gave his delicate figure a rich and pampered appearance. He sat in semiprofile opposite his observer, one foot, shod in black patent leather, placed in front of the other [...]
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