Comparing Works of Thomas Mann and George Eliot.

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PART 1

In this essay, I shall explore the ways in which music can influence the way a literary text is constructed. Looking at the works of Thomas Mann and George Eliot, and considering their influences, I shall discuss to what extent they have drawn on music to structure and enhance their writing, and examine how effective this has been. Throughout literary history, writers have drawn on the methods adopted by composers when structuring their works. This seems to have been much more prevalent since Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde” pioneered a whole new method of composing and writing, utilising leitmotifs and carefully chosen text to emphasise key moments and develop characters in the story.

 (“...Wagner affected the subsequent production of both musical and literary artworks to a profound extent”)

Samuels, R. P.84

 Stories became much more character driven, and were very much attempting to mirror true life, in fact, to represent true life, and to express the deeper emotions and motivations of the characters - Wagner believed that dramatic action should arise primarily from the portrayal of character – and music was carefully written to respect the “natural rise and fall of expressive speech” (Samuels, R. p 93). The relationship of music and words became very important, and writers began to realise that they could use the same methods in their work and both write about music and also include music within their writings to emphasise character and comment on what happens to those characters throughout the narrative. Wagner very much believed that music and words should be linked, that the melody and the text should be married together and interlinked so that the meaning of the drama is fully expressed. Music could be used independently to express meaning beyond the text itself, but could also be used in conjunction with text to evoke thoughts, memories and emotions, and writers subsequently discovered that they could use the same methods in their work.

Thomas Mann was one of these writers. His book, “Tristan”, written in 1902 was a novella of around 12,000 words which took its’ title from Wagner’s opera “Tristan und Isolde.” There are many similarities in the narratives of each work, but also some marked differences. However, a particularly noticeable aspect of Mann’s work is that not only does the text speak of music and use it within its’ context to further the story, the development of the characters and the relationship between them  - it also actually speaks of specific sections of music from Tristan und Isolde being played on the piano by the protagonist Gabriele. Mann’s story also tells of a love triangle, as does Wagner’s, although the characters themselves differ in appearance and behaviour, and both stories are constructed in three parts. In Wagner’s opera these parts are the three acts, in Mann’s novella there are three sections of narration. Therefore it would certainly seem that immediately the opera has influenced the structure of the novella. There are also parallels as regards events in the novella which echo rather than emulate what happens on the opera – such as the other patients being away, as were the hunting party in the opera, and the scene being set in darkness, as was the opera.

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Mann also emulated Wagner’s use of leitmotif within his novella, wherein he used the repetition of literary phrases as opposed to musical phrases. As Wagner’s leitmotifs served to warn us as listeners of impending tragedy or events, so the repeated mention of the tiny pale blue vein on Gabriele’s forehead served as a reminder that she is unwell, and also as a constant warning of her eventual death. Even when she is happy, when she laughs or speaks cheerfully, the vein is always noticeable, always apparent, never suppressed or disguised. This is a contrast to the emotions and feelings of ...

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