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Definition of Motif
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the central themes of a book... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of... read full definition
Part 1, Chapter 22: Captain Nemo’s Thunderbolt
Explanation and Analysis—Organ Music:
Captain Nemo plays his piano-organ in key moments in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, forming a motif. For example, at the end of Part 1 of the novel (in Chapter 22), while Aronnax, Ned, and Conseil are being attacked by Papuans, Nemo is in a trance-like state playing the organ. Aronnax finds him experiencing “a musical ecstasy” after escaping the attack:
I descended to the drawing-room, from whence I heard some chords. Captain Nemo was there, bending over his organ, and plunged in a musical ecstasy.
Related Themes:
Part 2, Chapter 22: Captain Nemo’s Last Words
Explanation and Analysis—Organ Music:
Captain Nemo plays his piano-organ in key moments in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, forming a motif. For example, at the end of Part 1 of the novel (in Chapter 22), while Aronnax, Ned, and Conseil are being attacked by Papuans, Nemo is in a trance-like state playing the organ. Aronnax finds him experiencing “a musical ecstasy” after escaping the attack:
Unlock with LitCharts A+I descended to the drawing-room, from whence I heard some chords. Captain Nemo was there, bending over his organ, and plunged in a musical ecstasy.
Related Themes:
