Art as a form of morality

An essay on The blue angel and Death in Venice

Abstract

This article sets out to show how, for Thomas Mann, art is a form of morality, instead of a moral instrument. This assertion is meaningful as one considers the peculiar context of the tense dialogue between Thomas Mann and his brother Heinrich Mann. By exploring an analytic possibility not examined in Helmut Koopman’s study on the two brothers, this article compares their works The blue angel and Death in Venice –a satire and a tragedy –, since the issue of form is a key element in the argument of both books. The characterization of Aschenbach as a “hero of frankness”, in this sense, is contrasted to the characterization of Unrat as a “tyrant”, based on the time-structure that underlies the way these two particular characters are depicted.