Abstract:
The following study examines various female characters who appear in the works of Thomas Mann. Central to our examination of these women are two main premises. The first of these premises is that a significant number of Mann's women could be described as being 'mythical', by which we mean that they frequently call to mind various female characters from mythology or from other artistic media such as literature and opera; and, in some instances, that they also can often be seen to appear on more than one occasion in Mann's works, thereby giving the impression of a kind of mythic repetition, as it were, of a specific female character within their creator's works of fiction. The second major premise which underlies this study is that, in addition to the above, Mann's female characters frequently reflect some deeper autobiographical interest on the part of their creator. Our study of Mann's female characters is set out as follows: The Introduction outlines the premises which underlie our study, and provides a definition of the idea of 'mythical'. Chapter One examines various female characters from Mann's earliest fiction, with particular emphasis being placed on the figures of Tony and Gerda Buddenbrook. Chapter Two examines works in which female characters, particularly sisters, tend to appear as the reflection (and in some cases the lover) of some male character, with particular emphasis being placed on the novel Konigliche Hoheit. Chapter Three examines the Clawdia Chauchat/Pribislav Hippecomplex in Der Zauberberg, giving particular attention to the figure of Chauchat, and how she is prefigured by other female characters both within Mann's fiction and without. Chapter Four examines the figure of Mut-em-enet in Joseph in Agypten, who is Mann's supreme example of a person overcome by Dionysian passion. Chapter Five examines the tragic figure of Rosalie von Tummler in Die Betrogene, and explores her links with other female characters in Mann's works. Finally, in the Conclusion, we look back upon this study, and pause to make some general observations about Mann's women.
