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The representation of music in literature is often conceived in terms of a 'paragone', a debate over which of the arts ranks highest. In this context, literature is commonly spoken of as imitative or emulative of the music it is trying to represent. This premise informs even the most recent terminologies of literary scholars describing the intermedial relationship of music and literature systematically. Using the narratological concepts of 'showing vs. telling' to describe musical representation in literature, as proposed by the "Handbuch Literatur & Musik", this article argues that such a view is based on a misleading assumption about literary imitation and leads to constrained possibilities of hermeneutical interpretation. After a systematic reconstruction of the proposed terminology and a proposal for its modification, an exemplary analysis of Helmut Krausser's novel "Melodien" ["Melodies", 1993] will serve to demonstrate how a refined conception of the terminology can help to bring about more precise interpretations.