Deaths in Venice- Readings in Comparative Translation

It is a commonly held belief among literary scholars that translation is a nuisanceto be performed only when necessary and capable of producing onlyfailed copies of an irreproducible original. Translation however involvesexceptionally close readings of works and by this token is an important toolfor the study of literature. This importance is demonstrated by Patrick O'Neill's macrotextual model of reading which views translations neither asinferior copies of an original nor as mere metatexts about an original butas extensions of the original. In a refreshing turn it allows us to view alltranslations - even bad ones - as legitimate expansions rather than distortionsof the original text.In light of this this study embarks on close comparative readings of ThomasMann's Der Tod in Venedig (1912) and twelve of its English French andItalian renderings. It puts forth suggestions as to the most valuable observationsto have arisen from the readings and comments on the extensionsundergone by the original text. This book is intended not only for ThomasMann scholars or specialists in the field of translation studies - it is addressedto all those who share an interest in literature and who seek novel ways bywhich to access it.