Graphic analogies in the imitation of music in literature

Music may have a strong influence on literature. Many novels have reflected this by thematizing music in many different ways. However, this engagement can also adopt the form of an imitation or a formal presence that does not actually require the text to say anything about music. This paper aims to explore some aspects of musical imitation in literature that have not been analyzed in depth. Departing from the approach developed by Werner Wolf, I propose a distinction between imitating and imitated elements that applies to any case of study. Furthermore, at the core of this article, I advocate for a fourth dimension that the imitation of music in literature may have and that should be added to word music, formal and structural analogies, and imaginary content analogies. I call this fourth category “graphic analogies.” It implies an imitation whose imitating element is the graphic, written aspect of the linguistic signifier. Finally, this leads to the idea that, in the case of the imitation of music in literature, there is not a necessary correlation between imitating and imitated elements.

Music as Metaphor and Music Metaphors in Belles-Lettres and Scientific Music-Literary Discourse

In view of the importance of music as metaphor in the famous works of German literature (Thomas Mann's Doctor Faustus, Hermann Hesse's The Bead Game) and with reference to numerous statements made by the authors about music as an important element of their creativity, the article offers insight into the advantages of metaphorical approach to the analysis of music in literature as one that is productive and compatible with intermediality. As some Germanic literary studies papers attest, the proponents of metaphorical understanding of the interaction between literature and music (e.g. English modernist literature researcher Sarah Fekadu, Hermann Hesse's scholar Julia Moritz, theoretician of literature and jazz relations Erik Redling) rely on leading concepts about metaphor (those by Wilhelm Köller, Hans Blumenberg, George Lakoff and Mark Johnson) to substantiate the specific idea of musicality behind literary text. In particular, J. Moritz suggests that the musicality of a literary text should be perceived as metaphor which enables different ideas, depending on context or literary phenomena. Music and literature in this case form a completely different link, in which not the forms of art themselves but the perceptions of them are transformed in such a way as to create a new image which reveals a specific quality of literary text. It is emphasized that the metaphorical model helps solve the dilemma of whether “real” music can be found in literature as we no longer speak of such medium as “music” but of musicality as a specific quality of literature. That is why, literature which possesses musicality does not need to give up its essence to imitate music. The interdisciplinary character of the metaphorical understanding of music is also discussed and exemplified by current music studies papers which study literature. Music studies scholars do not deny the interaction between the two sign systems – music and literature. Thus, Christian Thorau claims that metaphorical calling is the calling of “contrastive exemplification”, figurative and sensual calling of common and different qualities. Semiotic prospect maintains sensibility where heterogeneous sign constellations (for instance, painting and music but also music and verbalized text) produce the moment of conflict through different sign forms regardless of the strength of semantic compatibility or difference. Within the semiotic mode this conflict may be studied as cross-modal metaphorism.

Eccentric Voices and the Representation of Vocal Virtuosity in Fiction: James McCourt’s Mawrdew Czgowchwz

This paper examines the representation of vocal virtuosity in fiction. It focuses on the concept of voice as it is represented in a work of fiction through musical eccentricity. The paper centres on James McCourt’s Mawrdew Czgowchwz (1975). James McCourt’s novel tells the story of an opera singer, Mawrdew Czgowchwz. In the novel, the voice is related to extravagance and fanaticism, so that it relates to violence and conflict. In McCourt’s novel, the stylistic features of the text show a hyperbolic use of language resorting to Rabelaisian lists, foreign vocabulary, neologisms, or nonce-words, which create tongue-twister cornucopia effects of linguistic musicality. The paper aims to demonstrate that (a) the mode of eccentricity is a fundamental mode of representing music in literature; (b) eccentricity rubs off on the very structure of the text, so that it leads to singular forms of operatic musicalization of fiction and musicalized writing; (c) the voice ends up turning into a fetish object.

Stereotyp(y) muzyki w literaturze

The article concerns the question of music in literature, one of the problems of comparative studies, and terms: "non-musicality", "musicality" as stereotypes in literary studies. In the course of considering these views the following problems are discussed: analogy between literature and music (esthetic point of view), "non-musicality" of literature (as quite controversial category in literary research), musical contexts and intertexts (numerous artistic and analytical-literary strategies), contemporary typology of music in literature (S. P. Scher, E. Wiegandt, F. Arroyas, S. Jeanneret).