The teacher of world literature might want to work in Thomas Mann's Death in Venice(28,770). The protagonist's denial of his illness and his infatuation with a young boy can lead to all kinds of thought-provoking discussion. Symbolism is also very important in the story, which was first published in 1912. One of Germany's premiere stylists, Mann is perhaps better known for his novels The Magic Mountainand Dr. Faustus, published in 1924 and 1947, respectively. There are various translations of Death in Venice available; for what it is worth, I like the Clayton Koelb version.