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    Comparison of Jean Paul Sartre's No Exit and Thomas Mann's Death in Venice

    Number of Pages: 5

     

    Summary of the research paper:

    Choices as they are represented in these works are discussed and compared in five pages. There are no other sources listed.

    Name of Research Paper File: TG15_TGmansar.rtf

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    which had been were regarded as the determinant of behavior were being replaced by liberal beliefs in existentialism, a concept that asserted it was man and his choices that sealed  his ultimate fate, not religious predestination or moral indoctrination. While this gave the modern twentieth-century man a sense that he was the master of his own destiny, it also  saddled him with the heavy burden of responsibility because it was he and he alone who was held accountable for his actions, not God, society, or other men. It  is the sense of liberation offered by the freedom of choice that German author Thomas Mann (1875-1955) pondered in his 1912 novella (short novel), Death in Venice. In renowned  French existentialist philosopher and author Jean-Paul Sartres 1944 play, No Exit, he considered whether choices are merely a part of the mortal existence or if there are also choices available  after death. Death in Venice is a tale of middle-aged German writer Gustav von Aschenbachs journey to Venice in hopes of rejuvenating his creative inspiration. He has long lived  a life of moral duty that is characterized by moderation and restraint. However, he feels there is something missing from his life, which he describes as "solitary, without comradeship"  (Mann 9). He makes a choice to experience beauty in his highest form, and where better than by taking in the breathtaking scenery of Venice. After settling in,  his eyes catch the gaze of a physically dazzling fourteen-year-old boy named Tadzio, who is vacationing in Venice with his mother, siblings and his governess. At that moment, Aschenbach  becomes convinced he has encountered "perfect beauty" (Mann 25) and will completely surrender all reason to its pursuit. He is aware these feelings are a double-edged sword, as revealed 

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