Spróchniałe gałęzie. Upadek rodziny w Buddenbrookach Tomasza Manna i Zmierzchu bogów Luchina Viscontiego

The topic of this article is the depiction of the fall of the family in Luchino Visconti’s film The Damned and Thomas Mann’s novel Buddenbrooks, which served as a major inspiration for the former. The comparison of both works centers on two pairs of opposite attributes: the fall of the Buddenbrooks is characterised as gradual and internal, whereas the von Essenbeck family from The Damned declines in a rapid and external manner. These differences are studied in connection with such issues as the role of historical events in both works, the similiarities and dissimilarities between certain characters, as well as the impact of Shakespeare’s Macbeth on the narrative structure of The Damned. The nature of Visconti’s inspiration with Mann’s work and the connection between both artists are also discussed.