Ars Amandi : The Erotic of Extremes in Thomas Mann and Marguerite Duras

The prominent and special role given to eroticism in Thomas Mann’s fiction, especially the early stories, and in virtually all of Marguerite Duras’s works is examined in the light of visual, tactile, and other stimuli. Sadomasochistic and narcissistic aspects are assessed, and the themes of homosexuality and lesbianism are placed in the wider context of these writers’ oeuvres.