Wagneriaanse vergestaltings in Etienne Leroux se 18-44
Date
2013-08
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
LitNet
Abstract
’n Belangrike aspek van Leroux se oeuvre is sy breedvoerige gebruik van ’n wye verwysingsveld, en veral sy invleg van uiteenlopende mitologieë, sielkundige teorieë en literêre bronne binne sy romans. Vanuit ’n musiekwetenskaplike perspektief is die talle verwysings na die musiekdramas van Wagner in 18-44 opvallend. Hierdie artikel neem as vertrekpunt ’n lesing van 18-44 as ’n teks tussen tekste, spesifiek met betrekking tot Richard Wagner se Der Ring des Nibelungen. Deur Wagner en Wagner-resepsie as ’n konteks vir Leroux te postuleer, word gepoog om nuwe interpretasiemoontlikhede in 18-44 bloot te lê. Uit hierdie herlesing kom belangrike temas en perspektiewe in die roman na vore, onder andere die huwelik as onmoontlike belofte en owerspel as noodsaaklike verraad. Regdeur Leroux se oeuvre is die soektog na ’n “lewende mite” ’n prioriteit. In hierdie artikel word die Götterdämmerung-tema in 18-44 hiermee in verband gebring en gelees as profesie van die Afrikaner se toekoms, die val van sy gode en sy desperate behoefte aan ’n “lewende mite”. Alhoewel hierdie voorgestelde konteks hoofsaaklik op Der Ring des Nibelungen berus, bestaan daar verdere moontlikhede om van Wagner se ander musiekdramas, veral Der Fliegende Holländer en Parsifal, doelbewus in ’n herlees van 18-44 te betrek. Deur Leroux vanuit hierdie perspektief te benader is my bedoeling om te demonstreer dat die veld van Leroux-navorsing geensins versadig is nie en dat ander interpretasies steeds deur’n “heruitvoering” (om Willem Weststeijn in Botha 2004:89–90 se konsep te ontleen) van 18-44 moontlik is.
Etienne Leroux’s use of an extensive field of reference in his novels, and especially his interlacing of diverse mythologies, psychological theories and literary sources, remains an aspect of his oeuvre that has enjoyed significant academic attention. From a musicological perspective, the numerous references in 18-44 to the music dramas of Richard Wagner are particularly striking. These references are also an aspect of 18-44 that is frequently understated in interpretations of the novel, many of which tend to focus on a Jungian interpretation. Indeed, 18-44 has in the past been referred to as Leroux’s strongest Jungian novel (Meiring 1968b). By postulating Wagner and Wagner reception as a context for Leroux I intend to demonstrate that the field of Leroux research has by no means been exhausted and that other interpretations are still possible by (to borrow a term from Willem Weststeijn in Botha 2003:89–90), a heruitvoering – “reperformance” – of 18-44. This article employs a theoretical framework based on the work of Kristeva (1969), Barthes (1977) and Riffaterre (1978) to conceptualise intertextuality as a web of relations between writer, reader and cultural context where the creation of meaning lies with the reader and not, as was hitherto understood, only with the writer. This understanding acknowledges that each reader brings a unique background to any reading and is at liberty to draw on a number of extra texts or cultural contexts to aid interpretation and the creation of meaning. This article therefore takes as its starting point a reading of 18-44 as a text amongst texts, specifically with reference to Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen. Seen in the light of intertextuality, it is irrelevant whether Leroux was well acquainted with the work of Wagner or not, nor whether these symbols were intended as a conscious concealment of meaning in 18-44.
Etienne Leroux’s use of an extensive field of reference in his novels, and especially his interlacing of diverse mythologies, psychological theories and literary sources, remains an aspect of his oeuvre that has enjoyed significant academic attention. From a musicological perspective, the numerous references in 18-44 to the music dramas of Richard Wagner are particularly striking. These references are also an aspect of 18-44 that is frequently understated in interpretations of the novel, many of which tend to focus on a Jungian interpretation. Indeed, 18-44 has in the past been referred to as Leroux’s strongest Jungian novel (Meiring 1968b). By postulating Wagner and Wagner reception as a context for Leroux I intend to demonstrate that the field of Leroux research has by no means been exhausted and that other interpretations are still possible by (to borrow a term from Willem Weststeijn in Botha 2003:89–90), a heruitvoering – “reperformance” – of 18-44. This article employs a theoretical framework based on the work of Kristeva (1969), Barthes (1977) and Riffaterre (1978) to conceptualise intertextuality as a web of relations between writer, reader and cultural context where the creation of meaning lies with the reader and not, as was hitherto understood, only with the writer. This understanding acknowledges that each reader brings a unique background to any reading and is at liberty to draw on a number of extra texts or cultural contexts to aid interpretation and the creation of meaning. This article therefore takes as its starting point a reading of 18-44 as a text amongst texts, specifically with reference to Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen. Seen in the light of intertextuality, it is irrelevant whether Leroux was well acquainted with the work of Wagner or not, nor whether these symbols were intended as a conscious concealment of meaning in 18-44.
Description
CITATION: Fourie, P. 2013. Wagneriaanse vergestaltings in Etienne Leroux se 18-44. LitNet Akademies, 10(2):446-478.
The original publication is available at http://www.litnet.co.za
The original publication is available at http://www.litnet.co.za
Keywords
Leroux, Etienne, Wagner, Richard, 1813-1883, Intertextuality, Wagner, Richard, 1813-1883. Ring des Nibelungen
Citation
Fourie, P. 2013. Wagneriaanse vergestaltings in Etienne Leroux se 18-44. LitNet Akademies, 10(2):446-478.