Music and Myth Modern Literature

This book is the first major study that explores the intrinsic connection between music and myth, as Nietzsche conceived of it in (1872), in three great works of modern literature: Romain Rolland’s Nobel Prize winning novel (1904-12), James Joyce’s modernist epic (1922), and Thomas Mann’s late masterpiece (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 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 and , two world-famous novels that are rarely discussed together, and makes the case for the significance of , 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.