Literary Modernism and Musical Aesthetics

Description:

"This book examines the theory and the practice of music in relation to the writing of four major modernist figures: Walter Pater, Ezra Pound, James Joyce and Gertrude Stein. Brad Bucknell argues that in the nineteenth century, music was often invoked as the paradigm of transcendent art. For the modernists, however, late nineteenth-century debates about music's powerful but non-referential ability to make meaning became a significant focus for their written work. Bucknell examines Modernist writers' relationship and engagement with music - from theories about music and musical-literary relations to the composition of music and libretti - to show how music actually became another complex trope deployed in modernism's justification of its own aesthetic practice. Bucknell's study investigates how music, as a discrete artistic mode of expression and a recurring theme in the work of these four writers, reveals the intricate and varied nature of the modernist project."--Jacket.

subjects: Aesthetics,  History and criticism,  English literature,  Philosophy and aesthetics,  Music and literature,  American literature,  Modernism (Literature),  Music,  History,  Pater, walter, 1839-1894,  Pound, ezra, 1885-1972,  Joyce, james, 1882-1941,  Stein, gertrude, 1874-1946,  Music, philosophy and aesthetics,  Aestheticspater, walter , 1839-1894,  Aestheticspound, ezra , 1885-1972,  Aestheticsjoyce, james , 1882-1941,  Aestheticsstein, gertrude , 1874-1946,  English literature--history and criticism,  English literature--20th century--history and criticism,  Music and literature--history,  Music and literature--history--20th century,  American literature--history and criticism,  American literature--20th century--history and criticism,  Music--philosophy and aesthetics,  Modernism (literature)--great britain,  Modernism (literature)--english-speaking countries,  Pr478.m6 b84 2001,  780/.08

People: Walter Pater (1839-1894),  James Joyce (1882-1941),  Gertrude Stein (1874-1946),  Ezra Pound (1885-1972)

Places: English-speaking countries

Times: 20th century