Narrating Masculinity in the Dance Contest from Ravel'sDaphnis et Chloé

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe scenario of the dance contest from Ravel'sDaphnis et Chloépresents a narrative in which the hero, Daphnis – in typical patriarchal fashion – is rewarded with Chloé as a prize. The period ofDaphnis’s creation saw widespread anxiety over the proper performance of masculinity. Given the ‘duel’ fought between Daphnis and Dorcon, I employ the gendered connotations of duelling narratives as an interpretative lens through which to view the ballet's scene. I propose a methodology developed from the conceptually similar praxes of A. J. Greimas and Heinrich Schenker for the analysis of narrative structures in different media from within the same theoretical framework. Central to my narrative analysis is the conceptualisation of a desiring musical subject who seeks to establish a state of conjunction with an object of value, in this case a specific tonal centre. I consider the inflection of underlying tonal processes by voice‐leading structures in relation to an examination of the expressive course of the narrative discourse, leading to an interpretation in which Daphnis's victory can be understood to express and emphasise the tensions at the heart of French masculinity at the fin de siècle.