A soundtrack to life : representations of music in the contemporary novel

Abstract

This dissertation is an exploration of the references to music found in contemporary fiction. It will look at the dazzling effect music can have on one’s life, whether they are a musician, composer, or simply a member of the audience in a performance. The idea of music being played as a ‘soundtrack’ to one’s life lies at the core of this dissertation, and several instances of this in contemporary novels will be explored with the aim of shedding light on this aspect. The first chapter will comment on the division of the art forms, and the existence of the Sublime, with attention to the theories and explorations of Martin Heidegger and G.W.F. Hegel. The larger part of this chapter will be dedicated to the beauty in Art as opposed to the Sublime, furthermore being followed by a comparison of the art forms of music and the novel, and their enhanced value when put together, to create a genre of its own: the musical novel. The second chapter will focus on Ian McEwan’s novel The Children Act (2014) for its references to music throughout its compelling storyline, intriguing characters, and the metaphorical boundaries that are crossed during musical performance. The third chapter follows with a discussion of similar nature surrounding The Noise of Time (2016), a work of historical fiction by Julian Barnes. Music will be evaluated through the eyes of a great composer and its importance throughout his lifetime. Finally, the arguments that have been explored in this work will be compared and contrasted to another short yet equally valuable work, a novella titled A Life’s Music by Andreï Makine. It presents music as metaphor, as inspiration, and of course, music as a symbol and source of self-identity. A Life’s Music and its remarkably spell-binding story works as a concluding reference and example that might be well-suited to be identified as one of the most musical of musical novels that have been explored in this work.