Music and Myth in Modern Literature

<p>This book is the first major study that explores the intrinsic connection between music and myth as Nietzsche conceived of it in <i>The Birth of Tragedy </i>(1872) in three great works of modern literature: Romain Rolland’s Nobel Prize winning novel <i>Jean-Christophe </i>(1904-12) James Joyce’s modernist epic <i>Ulysses </i>(1922) and Thomas Mann’s late masterpiece <i>Doctor Faustus </i>(1947). Juxtaposing Nietzsche’s conception of the Apollonian and Dionysian with narrative depictions of music and myth Josh Torabi challenges the common view that the latter half of <i>The Birth of Tragedy</i> is of secondary importance to the first. Informed by a deep knowledge of Nietzsche’s early aesthetics the book goes on to offer a fresh and original perspective on <i>Ulysses </i>and <i>Doctor Faustus</i> two world-famous novels that are rarely discussed together and makes the case for the significance of <i>Jean-Christophe</i> which has been unfairly neglected in the Anglophone world despite Rolland’s status as a major figure in twentieth-century intellectual and literary history. This unique study reveals new depths to the work of our most enduring writers and thinkers. </p>