Die darstellung von ‚krankheit' und ‚kunst' in ausgewählten erzählungen von Thomas Mann

In this thesis the representations of the two concepts 'illness' and 'art' are analysed in some selected short stories by Thomas Mann. His "Der Wille zum Glück ", "Der kleine Herr Friedemann" and "Tristan" were found available for our purpose. The reason why we choose them is that these two concepts can be shown clearly in these short stories. The concept of illness emerges as reflections of degeneration and collapse in the Décadence-period. The most significant feature of this period is the tendency towards art. The perception of art in the period and the position of the artist in society draw attention with the motifs of 'illness' in these three works of the author. 'Women figures', 'nature', 'death' and 'the north-south problem' strengthen these two concepts and therefore, these concepts were considered as important and were emphasized in the appropriate sections. At the beginning of our study, Thomas Mann's biography and the period of literature were mentioned. In addition, the philosophers whose ideas influenced the author were also included. This information was also useful in the analysis process of our work. The concept of illness was discussed in both medical and metaphorical meaning. The role of the artist in the society was also examined under a separate title since it was thought to be useful in the analysis of short stories by Thomas Mann. In the analysis section of the study, the characters in the works were evaluated in terms of their connections with illness and art. It was stated that both concepts were presented by symbolizing the figures in these short stories. Considering the characteristics of the literary period in which the author is present, the illnesses of the figures were interpreted as Décadence-period disease. The tendency towards art in this period appeared as the artists who can no longer be productive.