Foreign Literature Studies ›› 2021, Vol. 43 ›› Issue (4): 99-109.

• Interdisciplinary Literary Studies • Previous Articles     Next Articles

“The Musical Web”:The Imitation of Wagner's Symphony in Thomas Hardy's Novels

Wang Xichong   

  • Published:2021-08-29
  • About author:Wang Xichong is a lecturer at Hubei University (Wuhan 430062, China), specializing in interdisciplinary study of music and literature, and English and American literature. Email: wsz19881988@126.com
  • Supported by:
    “Research on Musical Elements in Hardy’s Novels” (19D004) sponsored by Humanities and Social Sciences of Educational Commission of Hubei Province of China

Abstract: “The musical web” is a concept of evaluation that defines the aesthetic features in Thomas Hardy's novels. The basic media it relies on is the craft of literature, which embodies a cross-media narrative technique that uses words to imitate music. While acknowledging Wagner's creative practice based on Schopenhauer's musical philosophy, the “musical web” appears to accomplish, both in form and content, a cross-media narrative reinforced by symphonic music in Wagner's music drama. In form, “the musical web” imitates the “prelude” and “leitmotif” in Wagner's symphonic music; in content, it imitates its sound structure of “Tristan chord” and “symbiotic structure of language and music.”

Key words: Thomas Hardy, Richard Wagner, imitation, cross-media narrative, music dramas

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