Topos of Venice in novellas by Th. Mann and D. du Maurier

In the novella "Death in Venice" by Th. Mann, the dual image of the city reflects the dual nature of art. Art needs a certain balance of reason and passion, spirit and sensuality. This balance served as a basis for the masterpiece by the writer Achenbach. However, he devotes himself to the passion for Tadzio and plunges into erotic adventure. The article considers Th. Mann''s attitude to the problem of homosexual relations as a way to intensify creativity of the author. In the novella "Ganymede" by D. du Maurier, the double-faced Venice represents double encoding, which allows for considering this work both as a phenomenon of mass literature and as a travesty of Th. Mann''s masterpiece.