The music of Ulysses, Berlin Alexanderplatz, and A Mind at Peace, explore the relationship between sound and the nation. The connection between nationalism and music is reflected in James Joyce's use of "The Croppy Boy" in Ulysses, Alfred Döblin's inclusion of "The Watch on the Rhine" in Berlin Alexanderplatz, and Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar's making of "Song in Mahur" in A Mind at Peace. Along with historical contextualization, comparison of these works allows for insight into the function of sound in each work as well as the multifaceted modernities the authors construct. While comparison often results in narrowed lenses, the results, when paired with accurate historical representations of the impact of songs on attitudes towards the nation, speak to a facet of the modern national identity. Each work relies on songs to contribute to an overall depiction of the relationship between music as a specific form of communication and changing nations. Rather than separate Ulysses, Berlin Alexanderplatz, and A Mind at Peace, the dissonant and harmonious frequencies of music in the focal texts mirrors the connectedness of global literature while underlining the diverse and nuanced histories and relationships of the respective nations.
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