Beauty is a complex term which refers to both physical characteristics of the object of person and the aesthetic pleasure, satisfaction and delight which its viewer feels. The concept of beauty is close-knit to human nature, as humans actually created standards and popular understanding of beauty. Human reason normally defines beauty by identifying certain object as magnificent and searching for new aspects which distinguish the look of this object from the others, whereas the involvement of passion into defining beauty leads to the desire for having the object it as one’s own property. The present paper is intended to discuss the reason and passion-oriented perspectives on beauty in Thomas Mann’s “Death in Venice” and Henry James’s “The Spoils of Poynton”. It will argue that in both literary works state the involvement of passion into one’s identification, definition of beauty and interaction with attractive people or splendid pieces of art necessarily inhibits the reason and sober, constructive perception of beauty and consequently results in the degradation of one’s practical reason so that the person becomes dangerous to oneself and people around them.
In order to understand how reason and passion define beauty in “The Spoils of Poynton”, it is necessary to look more carefully at the characters of Fleda and Mrs.Gereth. The former is in fact an embodiment of the reason-driven perception of beauty, as she properly appreciates the spoils of Poynton, recognizes their artistic value and even finds the “souls” of the non-living objects: “The ‘things’ are radiant, shedding afar, with a merciless monotony, all their light, exerting their ravage without remorse; and Fleda almost demonically both sees and feels, while the others but feel without seeing” (James, p.18). In this sense, Fleda first sees and only later feels the independence of the luxurious furniture and artworks in Poynton, thus resembling a philosopher who quickly attends to the true nature of the world around them. Fleda is careful and quick-witted, so she doesn’t need much time to conclude that the trophies of Poynton were created by great artists, sculptors and designers who literally invested a particle of their soul into the work of art. Therefore, Fleda is first to recognize that the treasures actually belong neither to Mrs.Gereth, nor to Owen, but rather keep living their inner life (James, p.19). As opposed to the main character, Mrs.Gereth defines and approaches beauty with passion and affection, as she believes she is the person who collected the artworks in one and the same place. She has been taking care about them and treating the beautiful artworks as her own children. Whereas Mona, the perfect example of practical reason, believes the spoils have a right to self-determination, Mrs.Gereth aggressively rejects the possibility of losing control over them (James, p.59). Illustrative is Mrs.Gereth’s definition of ugliness, which suggests that she values beauty in the similarly passionate way: “And in truth, as poor Mrs,Gereth inquired, how could he possibly have had a prevision – he who turned his eyes instinctively from anything repulsive – of anything so abnormal as a Waterbath Brigstock?” (James, p.7). As one can understand, passion is much more assertive than reason in terms of defining beauty; the passion, represented by Mrs.Gereth, accepts no compromises, for which Fleda’s reason is ready.
However, towards the end of the novel, it becomes clear that the “reason” is seized by “passion”. Whereas Fleda and Mrs.Gereth have dissimilar attitudes towards the beauty of Poynton, both women are committed to it to certain extent. As Mrs.Gereth begins to capitalize on unselfish and rational, but weak and soft Fleda, she forces the young girl to engage with the struggle for the precious artworks with Owen Gereth, the son of Mrs.Gereth. The woman also easily manipulates human fates in order to stay in Poynton; in particular, she arranges the situation in which Fleda and Owen can spend some time together and learn more about one another. Under the pressure of the leader of the Garreths, Fleda feels torn in two: on the one hand, her inner principles do not allow her to plot intrigues and break the relationship between Mona and Owen; on the other, she is pressured by Mrs.Garreth’s reminders about her own loyalty to the beauty of Poynton and in addition is infatuated with Owen. As a result, these games with the fire of passion, initiated by Mrs,Garreth for the sake of immortal beauty of the spoils of Poynton, leave Fleda confused and emotionally exhausted at the end (James, p. 79).
Whereas Mrs.Garreth becomes a destructive force for the people around her due to her passion in attending beauty, Achenbach, the protagonist of “Death in Venice” becomes hazardous to his own life and health. At first he is depicted as a reputable artist and scholar, who approaches beauty with discipline and scientific methods of inquiry: “ […] since his aims were high, he stood in great need of discipline – and discipline, after all, was fortunately his inborn heritage on his father’s side” (Mann, Chapter 2, p.102). In this part of the novella, he can be compared to Fleda, as Aschenbach is similarly depicted at first as a learner rather than would-be-owner of beauty, which he comprehends and defines with his reason and common sense. Similarly to Fleda’s vision, his eyes see clearly enough to notice each line, each element of the magnificent art or marvelous landscape around him (Mann, Chapter 2, p.105). However, when the main character spots a teenage boy in the hotel, he becomes literally restless. His passionate view on the boy’s beauty brings to him unbearable suffering like dreams with erotic imagery. Whereas Mrs.Garreth directs her passion for beauty to her nearest and dearest, the old man seems to distort his own personality with the affections, associated with beauty. Driven by his passion, he fails to leave Venice at the beginning of the cholera epidemic and is consequently affected by the disease after he once carelessly eats a dinner in an unknown café.
As one can conclude, the cognition of beauty by reason is described in both literary works as a powerful means of intellectual growth and inspiration; moreover, Mann’s Aschenbach manages to make large fortune by using his common sense definition of and approach to beauty. At the same time, passion is definitely a fire which reaches immense size when it relates to beauty, so it has a destructive effect on the rational personality.
Works cited
- James, H. The Spoils of Poynton. Penguin, 1988
- Mann, T. “Death in Venice”. In Death in Venice, Tonio Kröger, and other writings by Thomas Mann, pp. 95-162. Continuum International Publishing Group, 1999