What does it mean to write in and about sound? How can literature, seemingly a silent, visual medium, be sound-bearing? This volume considers these questions by attending to the energy generated by the sonic in literary studies from the late nineteenth century to the present. Sound, whether understood as noise, music, rhythm, voice or vibration, has long shaped literary cultures and their scholarship. In original chapters written by leading scholars in the field, this book tunes in to the literary text as a site of vocalisation, rhythmics and dissonance, as well as an archive of soundscapes, modes of listening, and sound technologies. Sound and Literature is unique for the breadth and plurality of its approach, and for its interrogation and methodological mapping of the field of literary sound studies.
This is the first scholarly work to examine the cultural significance of the "talking book" since the invention of the phonograph in 1877, the earliest machine to enable the reproduction of the human voice. Recent advances in sound technology make this an opportune moment to reflect on the evolution of our reading practices since this remarkable invention. Some questions addressed by the collection include: How does auditory literature adapt printed texts? What skills in close listening are necessary for its reception? What are the social consequences of new listening technologies? In sum, the essays gathered together by this collection explore the extent to which the audiobook enables us not just to hear literature but to hear it in new ways. Bringing together a set of reflections on the enrichments and impoverishments of the reading experience brought about by developments in sound technology, this collection spans the earliest adaptations of printed texts into sound by Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, and other novelists from the late nineteenth century to recordings by contemporary figures such as Toni Morrison and Barack Obama at the turn of the twenty-first century. As the voices gathered here suggest, it is time to give a hearing to one of the most talked about new media of the past century.
"This book examines how writers and artists from the 1870s to the 1960s turned their attention to the physical process of spoken language. Their goal was to capture this vocal-acoustic phenomenon-the bodily articulation of sound-in legible form. At stake was a crossing-over from the audible to the visible, from speech to notation, from body to trace. This book shows how the search for such possibilities-and the various media, techniques, and concepts employed-transformed the age-old genre of poetry into a site of radical linguistic experimentation"--
Reveals the many roles and forms of sound in modernism. Drawing on a wealth of texts and thinkers, the book shows the distinctive nature of sonic cultures in modernity. Arguing that these cultures are not reducible to sound alone, the book further shows that these encompass representations of sound in 'other' media: especially literature; but also, cinema and painting. Figures discussed include canonical writers such as Joyce, Richardson, and Woolf; relatively neglected writers such as Henry Roth and Bryher; and a whole host of musicians, artists, and other commentators, including Wagner, Schoenberg, Kandinsky, Adorno, and Benjamin. Conceptually as well as topically diverse, the book engages issues such as city noise and 'foreign' accents, representations of sound in 'silent' cinema, the relationship of music to language, and the effects of technology on sonic production and reception.
Forging new ideas about the relationship between race and sound, Furlonge explores how black artists--including well-known figures such as writers Ralph Ellison and Zora Neale Hurston, and singers Bettye LaVette and Aretha Franklin, among others--imagine listening. Drawing from a multimedia archive, Furlonge examines how many of the texts call on readers to "listen in print." In the process, she gives us a new way to read and interpret these canonical, aurally inflected texts, and demonstrates how listening allows us to engage with the sonic lives of difference as readers, thinkers, and citizens.
Hearing Things is a meditation on sound’s work in literature. Drawing on critical works and the commentaries of many poets and novelists who have paid close attention to the role of the ear in writing and reading, Angela Leighton offers a reconsideration of literature itself as an exercise in hearing. An established critic and poet, Leighton explains how we listen to the printed word, while showing how writers use the expressivity of sound on the silent page. Although her focus is largely on poets—Alfred Tennyson, W. B. Yeats, Robert Frost, Walter de la Mare, Wallace Stevens, Elizabeth Bishop, Jorie Graham, and Alice Oswald—Leighton’s scope includes novels, letters, and philosophical writings as well. Her argument is grounded in the specificity of the text under discussion, but one important message emerges from the whole: literature by its very nature commands listening, and listening is a form of understanding that has often been overlooked. Hearing Things offers a renewed call for the kind of criticism that, avoiding the programmatic or purely ideological, remains alert to the work of sound in every literary text.
An award-winning visual tour of the world of sound. Intriguing, informative, and endlessly fascinating, a book that makes visible that which we otherwise only hear and feel as vibrations: SOUND. Award-winning authors and artists Romana Romanyshyn and Andriy Lesiv achieve a remarkable fusion of the scientific exploration of the phenomenon of sound with a philosophic reflection on its nature that will appeal to inquisitive children looking to learn more about science and nature. A stunning sequence of rich infographics provoke the reader to listen . . . learn . . . and think. Whether it's hearing noise, music, speech . . . or silence, no one will come away from these pages without experiencing sound with new ears and a fresh understanding. • Stunning visual sophistication and compelling infographics will appeal to adults as well as children. • A perfect book for educators to share with children interested in STEM topics • A fascinating overlooked topic that will help children explore complex ideas about science and the natural world Translated into over 20 languages! Winner of the Bologna Ragazzi Award for best nonfiction book of the year. The award-winning, visually stunning Sound will appeal to young readers who enjoyed Animalium, Botanicum, Eye to Eye: How Animals See the World, and Human Body: A Visual Encyclopedia. • Science books for kids ages 8–12 • Biology books for kids • Human physiology books for kids The accessible, kid-friendly visuals throughout Sound help children to connect with STEM topics and learn surprising and interesting facts about one of our most important senses. The husband and wife team Romana Romanyshyn and Andriy Lesiv, share an art studio, AGRAFKA, in Lviv, Ukraine. Sound, together with its companion Sight (coming Fall 2020) were the co-winners of the Bologna Ragazzi Award in 2018. Visit them at agrafkastudio.myportfolio.com.
