Past and Identity in the Age of Globalization: On Martin Suter’s Novel Melody (2023)

Abstract

 This article contends that in his novel Melody Martin Suter looks to question stereotypical images of masculinity which have been perpetuated in world literature since the late 18th century. The novel itself depicts the last days of an influential Zurich businessman, who only appears to have achieved success because his life has been based on a lie: he is hiding a dark secret, but wants to go on beeing seen as a successful statesman. He publicly manifests his pain over the loss of the love of his life and makes everyone believe that he has been abandoned by his fiancée. The young lawyer he hires to sort out his estate also does not fit into the established images of masculinity. Traumatized by his father’s suicide, the protagonist chooses a poorly paid job and a romance with his employer’s niece. Suter’s Melody is therefore a perfect example of a challenging the traditional images of masculinity, which is typical of literature from the last turn of the century. The novel presents both leading male figures as antiheroes and questions the ideal of masculinity as a figment of the imagination.