Musical Motifs in Vikram Seth's 'An Equal Music': A Study

Abstract

Vikram Seth, the acclaimed author and poet is known for his intricate and lyrical writing style. He has written several award-winning novels including ‘A Suitable Boy’, ‘The Golden Gate’, ‘Two Lives’ and ‘An Equal Music’. In addition to his novels, Seth has published several volumes of poetry as well. His works have been translated into several languages and have won numerous literary awards, including the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and the Sahitya Akademi Award. ‘An Equal Music’ is a book that celebrates classical music and is similar to Great Expectations. It has won the EMMA Award in 2001 An Equal Music' is a beautiful exploration of the relationship between music and human emotions. The Baltimore Sun praises it as “a beautifully written novel of music, romance, and the endless search for transcendent passion….A joy to read." The novel delves deep into the world of classical music and highlights the way in which music can have a transformative effect on our lives. One of the notable features of the novel is the use of musical motifs, which are recurring musical ideas that help to establish a sense of unity and coherence within the text. The present paper aims to examine the use of musical motifs in 'An Equal Music' and analyse the way in which they contribute to the novel's themes and overall impact.