Narration Models Reflecting the Soul of Music: Ravel and All The Mornings in the World

Abstract

Music, which is a universal media as the language of emotions and passion, has inspired many artistic and literary works. While written works occupy an important place in the cultural sphere, musical works have fed many movements of thought in the same way, maybe even more, and have been determinative in creating meaning. In this study, a representation of the strong bond formed by music, which is considered to be the greatest form of art, with Jean Echenoz’s Ravel and Pascal Quignard’s All the Mornings in the World is shown based on Schopenhauer’s philosophy noting that the effect of music is stronger than other forms of art because it expresses the essence of the events in life. After addressing the role of music on the literary creativity of the stated authors, this essay will discuss how music shows that the idea in everything is represented by literature through the musician-characters trying to attribute a meaning to their existence with the art of music. In the said narration models which develop a discourse on music, the art of music is one of the elements making up the narration rather than a simple ornament or form of narration. As Schopenhauer emphasized, just as words are the language of the mind, music is the language of emotions and love. In the studies examined; themes of pain, loneliness, sorrow, mourning, desire and longing are narrated with the help of the strength and effect inherent in music and attempts are made at communicating with the soul of the reader.