Synopses & Reviews
Throughout A la recherche du temps perdu, and particularly Swann in Love, Proust displays a surprising sensitivity to the way music is heard, a sensitivity to which we owe some of the most beautiful writing on music. Music as a model for literature: this is the subject of Nattiez's book, which unravels the various musical themes running through Proust's work, and which constitutes a particularly lucid and perceptive introduction to his writing. Through a study of the texts devoted to the Sonata and Septet of Vinteuil, the author demonstrates the fundamental role played by music in the evolution of the novel, and shows how Debussy, Wagner, and Beethoven provide the basis for a mystical quest whose goal is pure music and the literary absolute.
Review
"...pleasant reading for the specialist and non-specialist alike. It is agreeably written and smoothly translated...." Pauline Newman-Gordon, French Review
Synopsis
Through a study of the texts devoted to the Sonata and Septet of Vinteui, Jean-Jacques Nattiez demonstrates the fundamental role played by music in the evolution of the novel. He also shows how Debussy, Wagner and Beethoven provide the basis for a mystical quest whose goal is pure music and the literary absolute. Music as model for literature: this is the subject of Professor Nattiezâs essay, which unravels the various musical themes running through Proustâs work, and which thus constitutes a particularly clear and perceptive introduction to his writing.
Table of Contents
'Preface to the English edition; Translatorâs note; 1. Introduction: beyond the âlittle phraseâ; 2. Parsifal as redemptive model for the redemptive work; 3. Music as redemptive model for literature; 4. From Vinteuil to Schopenhauer; 5. In conclusion: quest for the essence and denial of the origin; Appendix: passages from A la recherche translated in the text; Notes; References; Index.\n
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