"Creative Expression through Worldbuilding: A Study on the Connections " by Lauralei S. Palmer
 

Honors Theses

Date of Award

Spring 5-10-2025

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

English

First Advisor

Max Hipp

Second Advisor

Philip Snyder

Third Advisor

Nancy Balach

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

This thesis examines the worldbuilding connections visible throughout fantasy literature and musical works. Though their tools seem different, authors, composers, and performers use equivalent techniques to draw in their audiences and produce an immersive, emotional experience. This research focuses on American author Brandon Sanderson’s highly detailed worldbuilding in his epic fantasy series, The Stormlight Archive. The Stormlight Archive exhibits the three pillars of worldbuilding: completeness, invention, and consistency. This research also examines Franz Liszt’s Les Préludes, a symphonic poem based on Alfonse Lamartine’s poem, Ode. Finally, this thesis culminates in the fusion of literary and musical worldbuilding in description of my senior recital, programmed to give a sonic illustration of The Stormlight Archive in a musical space. Research methods include several primary sources, literary and musical theses, and interviews with composers who focus on the illustration of extra-musical ideas. Worldbuilding in both literature and music seeks to give the audience an immersive experience, encouraging emotional responses to the art. By combining both elements of creative expression, audiences can emotionally engage with both the performance and the work that it seeks to illustrate, leading to enhanced immersion in these artforms.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

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