Jazz Music and Intermedial References in Toni Morrison’s Love

What is it about?

This paper proposes an intermedial reading of Toni Morrison’s Love (2003)and applies the concepts of intermediality theory to discuss the jazz narrativestrategies used in the novel. In this article, intermediality is on the one handassociated with the musicalization of fiction; on the other hand, it is viewedfrom the perspective of expanding the representational modes of a givenmedium. The article explores the links between jazz music and literature,and argues that the structure of Morrison’s Love has a certain similarity to ajazz music composition. We identify in the structure of the novel a number ofsolos and the polyphonic overlapping of the voices, and we show that the in-teraction of voices gives the narrative a dialogic character, which results inmultiple interpretations of the complex characters and ambiguous situations. Juxtapositions, temporal shifts, syncopation, rhythmically arranged sequences, meaningful chords, improvisation, repetition and variations are exploredand interpreted as jazz narrative strategies. The article identifies a double riffbased on counterpoint, and its role in harmonizing the sounds of the voicesat the end of the novel. The rich imagery contributing to the performativecharacter of the narrative is analysed. We argue that Morrison’s Love serves as a vivid example of the musicalization of fiction, which results in expandingthe representational modes of literature.

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Why is it important?

The article identifies a double riffbased on counterpoint, and its role in harmonizing the sounds of the voicesat the end of the novel. The rich imagery contributing to the performativecharacter of the narrative is analysed. We argue that Morrison’s Love serves as a vivid example of the musicalization of fiction, which results in expandingthe representational modes of literature.

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