A Musical Model of Mind

Inter-art comparisons have attracted a large following, although it seems the bibliography on music and literature is smaller than the one on pictorial art and literature. This substantial volume is a welcome contribution to the former group, but, in fact, it is much more than a comparison of music and literature. Eric Prieto tells us he seeks answers to two questions: why does music begin to serve as a model for narrative only in the modernist era, and what can music tell a writer about the art of telling stories? In a thoughtful and intense discussion of the role of music in three modern authors, this study not only answers these questions but goes well beyond them to much higher levels of philosophical inquiry about literary writing. By the time Prieto reaches his conclusions, he has also reached into the philosophy of literary representation.