A study on musical aspects and the soundscape of Os sinos da agonia, by Autran Dourado

Abstract

This paper deals with the influence that musical elements can have on literary prose. We analyze the novel Os sinos da agonia (1974), by Autran Dourado, and seek to demonstrate how the use of musical and sound references plays an important role in structuring the narrative, participating in the setting and characterization of characters. To do so, this paper is based on the works of Solange Ribeiro de Oliveira (2002), a researcher who is dedicated to the study of the relationship between music and literature and presents the concept of “musical metaphor”, dear to the realization of this work. Furthermore, we employ the concept of “soundscape”, coined by Raymond Murray Schafer (2011) and introduced by Gérson Werlang (2011) in the scope of literary theory. When referring to our acoustic environment, that is, the set of sounds that make up our daily life, Schafer (2011) states that a sound event can carry a symbology and act in a specific way on the human unconscious. Thus, we believe that, in the aforementioned novel, sound and music establish a significant relationship with the characters and the environment that surrounds them, operating as a leitmotiv in the development of the narrative.