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Definition of Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the story. Foreshadowing can be achieved directly or indirectly, by making... read full definition
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the story. Foreshadowing can be achieved... read full definition
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the... read full definition
Chapter 3
Explanation and Analysis—Like a Coffin :
In a passage that foreshadows Aschenbach's death at the end of the novel, the narrator uses a simile that compares the famed gondolas of Venice to coffins. When Aschenbach disembarks in Venice and hails a gondola to arrive at his hotel, the narrator states:
Who could avoid experiencing a fleeting shudder, a secret timidity and anxiety upon boarding a Venetian gondola for the first time or after a long absence? The strange conveyance [...] recalls hushed criminal adventures in the night, accompanied only by the quiet splashing of water; even more, it recalls death itself, the bier and the dismal funeral and the final taciturn passage. And have you observed that the seat in such a boat, that armchair painted black like a coffin and upholstered in a dull black, is the softest, most luxurious and enervating seat in the world?
Explanation and Analysis—The Air in Venice :
In a passage suffused with pungent imagery, the narrator foreshadows Aschenbach's later death amid the cholera epidemic in Venice. As Aschenbach walks around the crowded streets of Venice, the narrator states that:
Unlock with LitCharts A+The narrow streets were unpleasantly sultry; the air was so thick that the odors emanating from homes, stores and cookshops—olive oil, clouds of perfume and many others—hung like wisps of smoke without being dispersed [...] The longer he walked, the more tormented he became by the horrible state of health that the sea air can cause in conjunction with the scirocco, a state of excitement and prostration at the same time. He broke out into a distressing sweat. His eyes no longer performed their duty, he felt a tightness in his chest, he was feverish, the blood pounded in his head.
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Explanation and Analysis—The Old Man:
In a scene that foreshadows the ending of the novella, Aschenbach encounters an old man dressed in a youthful style during his voyage to Venice by ship:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Wrinkles surrounded his eyes and mouth. The faint crimson of his cheeks was rouge; the brown hair beneath the straw hat with its colorful band was a wig; his neck was scraggy and sinewy; his little stuck-on mustache and the tiny beard on his chin were dyed [...] With a feeling of horror Aschenbach watched him and his intercourse with his friends. Didn’t they know, didn’t they notice, that he was old, that it was wrong for him to be wearing their dandified, colorful clothing, wrong to be playing the part of one of them?
Related Themes:
