Welcome to Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art,

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art ›› 2018, Vol. 38 ›› Issue (4): 196-206.

• Studies in Western Literary Theory and Aesthetics • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Polyphonic Novel and Polyphonic Music

Hao Qian   

  1. School of Humanities at Tsinghua University
  • Online:2018-09-25 Published:2018-10-22
  • About author:Hao Qian is a Ph.D. Candidate in the School of Humanities at Tsinghua University. His research interests cover Chinese and Western comparative literature and art and music aesthetics.
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Abstract: Besides some similarity, there are many differences between Bakhtin's "Polyphonic Novel" and Western polyphonic music, for example conflict and harmony, pluralism and monism, confrontation and imitation, incompletion and perfect termination, historical background and many other aspects. Realization of these, and some concepts like counterpoint and bitonality in musical senses, will help us avoid interdisciplinary misusing of these terms. Compared to "polyphonic", "dialogical novel" may be the more suitable antonym of "monologic novel", because "dialogue", which can include various meanings that the term "Polyphony" wants to express, is not only the core of Bakhtin's poetics, but also the essential feature of the "Polyphonic Novel" which he defined. In addition, the most important standard for the judgement of a novel as to whether or not it belongs to "Polyphonic Novel" as defined by Bakhtin's is whether a novel has "dialogue".

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