Journal of Northeastern University(Social Science) ›› 2020, Vol. 22 ›› Issue (2): 120-126.DOI: 10.15936/j.cnki.1008-3758.2020.02.016

• Linguistics and Literature • Previous Articles    

Musical Narrative and “Order” in George Eliot's Works

LI Tao   

  1. (School of Foreign Studies, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China)
  • Received:2019-10-20 Revised:2019-10-20 Online:2020-03-25 Published:2020-04-02
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Abstract: Based on the integration of musical cultures, the musical narrative in George Eliot's works fulfils the effect of “law enforcement”. In The Mill on the Floss, Maggie is contemptuous of the musical law in concert with her contempt for the social law, and accordingly, she has to sustain punishment musically. In Middlemarch, Dorothea aspires to accomplish the social reform through sacrifice, and musical narrative in the novel fulfills the function of eulogy. In Daniel Deronda, through the understanding of music, Gwendolen has begun to fight against the vanity and decadence of the Victorian era, and begins to explore new ways to obtain satisfaction, rather than to feel “superior”. Music is the soul of Eliot's works, representing the maintenance of “order”, which highlights Eliot's moral idealism.

Key words: George Eliot, music, order, morality

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