classical music – Stepping Stones

Music: Culture & Symbolism

This article features a concise introduction on the significance of music; followed by a succession of interesting books and media relating to its cultural influence; then more media relating to its symbolism; and concluding with a list of the relevant links.

Books: The Rest is Noise; Retromania. DVDs: The Mighty Boosh

Of all the arts, music is the one that has the most influence on society—be it a primitive or a civilized one. Music is intangible: it is not felt, or seen, which makes it a more potent form of subliminal influence than visual and physical forms of entertainment.

Furthermore, rhythms of sounds do seem to affect humans on an intrinsic level. And I find it striking how many songs that sound so impressive (and even profound) suffer from an impoverishment of meaning—if not a subversion of meaning—when one simply reads the lyrics. For these reasons, it can be rewarding to become more conscious of the ways in which music influences society.

Prolepsis: A Rhetorical & Literary Device

This article features a brief introduction to the concept of Prolepsis, along with an expert definition; followed by a succession of examples from film, TV, and literature; then a film & soundtrack set related to a connecting theme; and concluding with a list of the relevant links.

Books: A Dictionary of Literary Devices; Seinfeld and Philosophy; The Second Genesis

Prolepsis is a highly significant device used in literature and rhetoric, as it achieves quite a profound effect on the attitude of the target audience. The essence of prolepsis is to anticipate and effectively neutralize an opponent’s argument (in the mind of the audience), or a listener’s objection (the audience directly).

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