Aeschenbach Characterisation

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Anne Sophie Lemmich

English A1 SL

Characterisation of Gustav von Aschenbach

Gustav Aschenbach comes from a long line of extremely serious men who have spent their lives in the service of the king. Aschenbach is a very methodical, world famous and pedantic writer. His life reflects his work. It is structured and leaving nothing to coincidence. “Aschenbach would begin his day early by dashing cold water over his chest and back… he would offer up to art, for two or three ardently conscientious morning hours…” (p. 200). The fact that he splashes cold water on himself early in the morning shows that he ‘forces’ himself to wakeup and work. It portrays that Aschenbach does not write out of passion. “Aschenbach’s native constitution was by no means robust, and that the constant harnessing of his energies was something to which he had been called, but not really born.” (p. 201) This in turn portrays Aschenbach’s self-discipline, which “… he had practiced since his youth.” (p. 198). Aschenbach has done what was expected of him his entire life, he missed out on the opportunity of being a child. As a young boy he was forced to be home tutored and partly therefore he grew up without friends and never acquired any later in life.

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Aschenbach is reserved, a fastidious perfectionist, dedicated to his work and an honourable, however uptight, man. He is a serious person who writes long novels on serious matters, though there is a wild side, which has not yet been explored due to hitherto mentioned suppression. His “wild” side is that he studies maps and timetables, as if planning a trip, but he never travelled. In the following quote Aschenbach’s life is summed up, “ ‘You see, Aschenbach has always only lived like this’ – and the speaker closed the fingers of his left hand tightly into a fist – ‘and ...

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