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Product Identifiers

PublisherOxford University Press, Incorporated

ISBN-100195166914

ISBN-139780195166910

eBay Product ID (ePID)2419344

Product Key Features

Book TitleDeath-Devoted Heart : Sex and the Sacred in Wagner's Tristan and Isolde

Number of Pages248 Pages

LanguageEnglish

Publication Year2003

TopicHistory & Criticism, Genres & Styles / Opera

IllustratorYes

GenreMusic

AuthorRoger Scruton

FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height1 in

Item Weight13.4 Oz

Item Length5.8 in

Item Width8.3 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade

LCCN2002-155709

Reviews"Fascinating book, conveying his ideas so effectively he almost makes ushear the music...Scruton is full of engaging subtleties...written with hiscustomary clarity and concision."--The Sunday Telegraph, "Impressive new book...this distinguished, characteristically contentious book sets a standard of Wagnerian commentary which it would be a great relief to see other writers attempting to follow."--The Spectator, "Chestnut deserves our special thanks for this intelligent, responsible, and sympathetic (although not uncritical) account of a significant and rising movement."--Philip Jenkins,Books & Culture "Devoted to Deathis fascinating, and a continuous revelation."--Inside Higher Ed "For those who wish to wrestle with religious and philosophical interpretations, Scruton provides ample grist and excellent analysis of the story and music."-The Opera Journal "This is possibly the best book ever written aboutTristan und Isoldefrom the dramatic as well as the musical point of view. Scruton does not leave a historical stone unturned without dusting and exposing it to the sunlight of his extraordinary power of synthesis. And his musical analysis is phenomenal. Even if you do not read music it has plenty to grab your attention. I would buy it just for the chapter on chivalry and courtly love, for instance, in which Scruton's clairy of narration and research put many other writers to shame.... A book the reader does not want to put down."--Eduardo Benarroch "A wide-ranging analysis of Richard Wagner's influential tribute to romantic love, by a noted philosopher and social critic.... Scruton's status as an unusually accomplished polymath is apparent throughoutDeath-Devoted Heart, as he moves easily from topic to topic, discussing such figures as Geoffrey Chaucer, Arthur Schopenhauer, Plato, Chretien de Troyes, and Claude Levi-Strauss with equal aplomb." --Magill's Literary Annual 2005 "Roger Scruton'sDeath-Devoted Heartis an elegant, erudite exploration attempting to make the operagoer 'get' this piece and, by extension, Wagner's intent in all of hisGesamtkunstwerkventures. Scruton shows us that traditional dismissals ofTristan's brief plot as Wagner's self-therapy in the wake of a frustrated love affair miss the point...Scruton is more interested in our understanding the philosophical substrate...devoting chapters to Wagner's conceptions of love, sacrifice and redemption, and ritual."--Books & Culture "Scruton has prepared his brief with care. Medieval chivalric romance, Kantian ethics, anthropological mythography, and musicological close-work propel his sinuous but lucid argument...Death-Devoted Heartis a breathtaking book."--First Things "If you're going to disagree with Nietzsche, Plato and Schopenhauer, you'd best have your own house in order. Roger Scruton certainly does."--Opera News "Fascinating book, conveying his ideas so effectively he almost makes us hear the music...Scruton is full of engaging subtleties...written with his customary clarity and concision."--The Sunday Telegraph "Impressive new book...this distinguished, characteristically contentious book sets a standard of Wagnerian commentary which it would be a great relief to see other writers attempting to follow."--The Spectator "Roger Scruton's book is a deep and daunting study of the most important single composition in Western music, Richard Wagner'sTristan and Isolde...Scruton's examination is highly original and delves into aspects which have seldom been explored so rigorously."--The Independent, "Scruton has prepared his brief with care. Medieval chivalric romance,Kantian ethics, anthropological mythography, and musicological close-work propelhis sinuous but lucid argument. ... Death-Devoted Heart is a breathtakingbook."--First Things, "Roger Scruton's book is a deep and daunting study of the most important single composition in Western music, Richard Wagner's Tristan and Isolde...Scruton's examination is highly original and delves into aspects which have seldom been explored so rigorously."--The Independent, "For those who wish to wrestle with religious and philosophical interpretations, Scruton provides ample grist and excellent analysis of the story and music."- The Opera Journal "This is possibly the best book ever written about Tristan und Isolde from the dramatic as well as the musical point of view. Scruton does not leave a historical stone unturned without dusting and exposing it to the sunlight of his extraordinary power of synthesis. And his musical analysis is phenomenal. Even if you do not read music it has plenty to grab your attention. I would buy it just for the chapter on chivalry and courtly love, for instance, in which Scruton's clairy of narration and research put many other writers to shame.... A book the reader does not want to put down."--Eduardo Benarroch "A wide-ranging analysis of Richard Wagner's influential tribute to romantic love, by a noted philosopher and social critic.... Scruton's status as an unusually accomplished polymath is apparent throughout Death-Devoted Heart , as he moves easily from topic to topic, discussing such figures as Geoffrey Chaucer, Arthur Schopenhauer, Plato, Chretien de Troyes, and Claude Levi-Strauss with equal aplomb." -- Magill's Literary Annual 2005 "Roger Scruton's Death-Devoted Heart is an elegant, erudite exploration attempting to make the operagoer 'get' this piece and, by extension, Wagner's intent in all of his Gesamtkunstwerk ventures. Scruton shows us that traditional dismissals of Tristan 's brief plot as Wagner's self-therapy in the wake of a frustrated love affair miss the point...Scruton is more interested in our understanding the philosophical substrate...devoting chapters to Wagner's conceptions of love, sacrifice and redemption, and ritual."-- Books & Culture "Scruton has prepared his brief with care. Medieval chivalric romance, Kantian ethics, anthropological mythography, and musicological close-work propel his sinuous but lucid argument... Death-Devoted Heart is a breathtaking book."-- First Things "If you're going to disagree with Nietzsche, Plato and Schopenhauer, you'd best have your own house in order. Roger Scruton certainly does."-- Opera News "Fascinating book, conveying his ideas so effectively he almost makes us hear the music...Scruton is full of engaging subtleties...written with his customary clarity and concision."-- The Sunday Telegraph "Impressive new book...this distinguished, characteristically contentious book sets a standard of Wagnerian commentary which it would be a great relief to see other writers attempting to follow."-- The Spectator "Roger Scruton's book is a deep and daunting study of the most important single composition in Western music, Richard Wagner's Tristan and Isolde ...Scruton's examination is highly original and delves into aspects which have seldom been explored so rigorously."-- The Independent, Death-Devoted Heart is a book on music, tragedy, love, sacrifice and redemption. It is partly a brilliant critical/theoretical study, partly a manifesto for a new religion. It's a rare case of a philosopher really telling you what it's all about., If you're going to disagree with Nietzsche, Plato and Schopenhauer, you'd best have your own house in order. Roger Scruton certainly does., "Roger Scruton's Death-Devoted Heart is an elegant, erudite explorationattempting to make the operagoer 'get' this piece and, by extension, Wagner'sintent in all of his Gesamtkunstwerk ventures. Scruton shows us that traditionaldismissals of Tristan's brief plot as Wagner's self-therapy in the wake of afrustrated love affair miss the point...Scruton is more interested in ourunderstanding the philosophical substrate...devoting chapters to Wagner'sconceptions of love, sacrifice and redemption, and ritual."--Books andCulture, A study of the most important single composition in Western music... Scruton's examination is highly original and delves into aspects which have seldom been explored so rigorously., This distinguished, characteristically contentious book sets a standard of Wagnerian commentary which it would be a great relief to see other writers attempting to follow., "For those who wish to wrestle with religious and philosophical interpretations, Scruton provides ample grist and excellent analysis of the story and music."-The Opera Journal "This is possibly the best book ever written aboutTristan und Isoldefrom the dramatic as well as the musical point of view. Scruton does not leave a historical stone unturned without dusting and exposing it to the sunlight of his extraordinary power of synthesis. And his musical analysis is phenomenal. Even if you do not read music it has plenty to grab your attention. I would buy it just for the chapter on chivalry and courtly love, for instance, in which Scruton's clairy of narration and research put many other writers to shame.... A book the reader does not want to put down."--Eduardo Benarroch "A wide-ranging analysis of Richard Wagner's influential tribute to romantic love, by a noted philosopher and social critic.... Scruton's status as an unusually accomplished polymath is apparent throughoutDeath-Devoted Heart, as he moves easily from topic to topic, discussing such figures as Geoffrey Chaucer, Arthur Schopenhauer, Plato, Chretien de Troyes, and Claude Levi-Strauss with equal aplomb." --Magill's Literary Annual 2005 "Roger Scruton'sDeath-Devoted Heartis an elegant, erudite exploration attempting to make the operagoer 'get' this piece and, by extension, Wagner's intent in all of hisGesamtkunstwerkventures. Scruton shows us that traditional dismissals ofTristan's brief plot as Wagner's self-therapy in the wake of a frustrated love affair miss the point...Scruton is more interested in our understanding the philosophical substrate...devoting chapters to Wagner's conceptions of love, sacrifice and redemption, and ritual."--Books & Culture "Scruton has prepared his brief with care. Medieval chivalric romance, Kantian ethics, anthropological mythography, and musicological close-work propel his sinuous but lucid argument...Death-Devoted Heartis a breathtaking book."--First Things "If you're going to disagree with Nietzsche, Plato and Schopenhauer, you'd best have your own house in order. Roger Scruton certainly does."--Opera News "Fascinating book, conveying his ideas so effectively he almost makes us hear the music...Scruton is full of engaging subtleties...written with his customary clarity and concision."--The Sunday Telegraph "Impressive new book...this distinguished, characteristically contentious book sets a standard of Wagnerian commentary which it would be a great relief to see other writers attempting to follow."--The Spectator "Roger Scruton's book is a deep and daunting study of the most important single composition in Western music, Richard Wagner'sTristan and Isolde...Scruton's examination is highly original and delves into aspects which have seldom been explored so rigorously."--The Independent, A fascinating book, conveying his ideas so effectively he almost makes us hear the music ... Scruton is full of engaging subtleties written with his customary clarity and concision., "For those who wish to wrestle with religious and philosophical interpretations, Scruton provides ample grist and excellent analysis of the story and music."- The Opera Journal"This is possibly the best book ever written about Tristan und Isolde from the dramatic as well as the musical point of view. Scruton does not leave a historical stone unturned without dusting and exposing it to the sunlight of his extraordinary power of synthesis. And his musical analysis is phenomenal. Even if you do not read music it has plenty to grab your attention. I would buy it just for the chapter on chivalry and courtly love, for instance, inwhich Scruton's clairy of narration and research put many other writers to shame.... A book the reader does not want to put down."--Eduardo Benarroch"A wide-ranging analysis of Richard Wagner's influential tribute to romantic love, by a noted philosopher and social critic.... Scruton's status as an unusually accomplished polymath is apparent throughout Death-Devoted Heart, as he moves easily from topic to topic, discussing such figures as Geoffrey Chaucer, Arthur Schopenhauer, Plato, Chretien de Troyes, and Claude Levi-Strauss with equal aplomb." -- Magill's Literary Annual 2005"Roger Scruton's Death-Devoted Heart is an elegant, erudite exploration attempting to make the operagoer 'get' this piece and, by extension, Wagner's intent in all of his Gesamtkunstwerk ventures. Scruton shows us that traditional dismissals of Tristan's brief plot as Wagner's self-therapy in the wake of a frustrated love affair miss the point...Scruton is more interested in our understanding the philosophical substrate...devotingchapters to Wagner's conceptions of love, sacrifice and redemption, and ritual."--Books & Culture"Scruton has prepared his brief with care. Medieval chivalric romance, Kantian ethics, anthropological mythography, and musicological close-work propel his sinuous but lucid argument...Death-Devoted Heart is a breathtaking book."--First Things"If you're going to disagree with Nietzsche, Plato and Schopenhauer, you'd best have your own house in order. Roger Scruton certainly does."--Opera News"Fascinating book, conveying his ideas so effectively he almost makes us hear the music...Scruton is full of engaging subtleties...written with his customary clarity and concision."--The Sunday Telegraph"Impressive new book...this distinguished, characteristically contentious book sets a standard of Wagnerian commentary which it would be a great relief to see other writers attempting to follow."--The Spectator"Roger Scruton's book is a deep and daunting study of the most important single composition in Western music, Richard Wagner's Tristan and Isolde...Scruton's examination is highly original and delves into aspects which have seldom been explored so rigorously."--The Independent"Scruton's new book, Death-Devoted Heart: Sex and the Sacred in Wagner's "Tristan and Isolde," connects the opera in an informative way with sex and religion and shows how many primitive religions associate sex with God. Scruton also examines the drama in this opera in interesting ways and notes how Wagner wanted the medieval setting of this opera to be taken very seriously." The Opera Quarterly, "Scruton has prepared his brief with care. Medieval chivalric romance, Kantian ethics, anthropological mythography, and musicological close-work propel his sinuous but lucid argument...Death-Devoted Heart is a breathtaking book."--First Things, "If you're going to disagree with Nietzsche, Plato and Schopenhauer, you'd best have your own house in order. Roger Scruton certainly does."--Opera News, "Roger Scruton's book is a deep and daunting study of the most importantsingle composition in Western music, Richard Wagner's Tristan and Isolde. ...Scruton's examination is highly original and delves into aspects which haveseldom been explored so rigorously."--The Independent, "Roger Scruton's Death-Devoted Heart is an elegant, erudite exploration attempting to make the operagoer 'get' this piece and, by extension, Wagner's intent in all of his Gesamtkunstwerk ventures. Scruton shows us that traditional dismissals of Tristan's brief plot as Wagner's self-therapy inthe wake of a frustrated love affair miss the point...Scruton is more interested in our understanding the philosophical substrate...devoting chapters to Wagner's conceptions of love, sacrifice and redemption, and ritual."--Books and Culture, This book is so astonishingly comprehensive that it reflects Wagner's own concept of theatrical creation as Gesamtkunstwerk, the complete work of art., "Fascinating book, conveying his ideas so effectively he almost makes us hear the music...Scruton is full of engaging subtleties...written with his customary clarity and concision."--The Sunday Telegraph, "A wide-ranging analysis of Richard Wagner's influential tribute to romantic love, by a noted philosopher and social critic.... Scruton's status as an unusually accomplished polymath is apparent throughout Death-Devoted Heart, as he moves easily from topic to topic, discussing such figures asGeoffrey Chaucer, Arthur Schopenhauer, Plato, Chretien de Troyes, and Claude Levi-Strauss with equal aplomb." -- Magill's Literary Annual 2005, "For those who wish to wrestle with religious and philosophical interpretations, Scruton provides ample grist and excellent analysis of the story and music."- The Opera Journal "This is possibly the best book ever written about Tristan und Isolde from the dramatic as well as the musical point of view. Scruton does not leave a historical stone unturned without dusting and exposing it to the sunlight of his extraordinary power of synthesis. And his musical analysis is phenomenal. Even if you do not read music it has plenty to grab your attention. I would buy it just for the chapter on chivalry and courtly love, for instance, in which Scruton's clairy of narration and research put many other writers to shame.... A book the reader does not want to put down."--Eduardo Benarroch "A wide-ranging analysis of Richard Wagner's influential tribute to romantic love, by a noted philosopher and social critic.... Scruton's status as an unusually accomplished polymath is apparent throughout Death-Devoted Heart, as he moves easily from topic to topic, discussing such figures as Geoffrey Chaucer, Arthur Schopenhauer, Plato, Chretien de Troyes, and Claude Levi-Strauss with equal aplomb." -- Magill's Literary Annual 2005 "Roger Scruton's Death-Devoted Heart is an elegant, erudite exploration attempting to make the operagoer 'get' this piece and, by extension, Wagner's intent in all of his Gesamtkunstwerk ventures. Scruton shows us that traditional dismissals of Tristan's brief plot as Wagner's self-therapy in the wake of a frustrated love affair miss the point...Scruton is more interested in our understanding the philosophical substrate...devoting chapters to Wagner's conceptions of love, sacrifice and redemption, and ritual."--Books & Culture "Scruton has prepared his brief with care. Medieval chivalric romance, Kantian ethics, anthropological mythography, and musicological close-work propel his sinuous but lucid argument...Death-Devoted Heart is a breathtaking book."--First Things "If you're going to disagree with Nietzsche, Plato and Schopenhauer, you'd best have your own house in order. Roger Scruton certainly does."--Opera News "Fascinating book, conveying his ideas so effectively he almost makes us hear the music...Scruton is full of engaging subtleties...written with his customary clarity and concision."--The Sunday Telegraph "Impressive new book...this distinguished, characteristically contentious book sets a standard of Wagnerian commentary which it would be a great relief to see other writers attempting to follow."--The Spectator "Roger Scruton's book is a deep and daunting study of the most important single composition in Western music, Richard Wagner's Tristan and Isolde...Scruton's examination is highly original and delves into aspects which have seldom been explored so rigorously."--The Independent "Scruton's new book, Death-Devoted Heart: Sex and the Sacred in Wagner's "Tristan and Isolde," connects the opera in an informative way with sex and religion and shows how many primitive religions associate sex with God. Scruton also examines the drama in this opera in interesting ways and notes how Wagner wanted the medieval setting of this opera to be taken very seriously." The Opera Quarterly, "Scruton's new book, Death-Devoted Heart: Sex and the Sacred in Wagner's"Tristan and Isolde," connects the opera in an informative way with sex andreligion and shows how many primitive religions associate sex with God. Scrutonalso examines the drama in this opera in interesting ways and notes how Wagnerwanted the medieval setting of this opera to be taken very seriously." The OperaQuarterly, "A wide-ranging analysis of Richard Wagner's influential tribute to romantic love, by a noted philosopher and social critic.... Scruton's status as an unusually accomplished polymath is apparent throughout Death-Devoted Heart, as he moves easily from topic to topic, discussing such figures as Geoffrey Chaucer, Arthur Schopenhauer, Plato, Chretien de Troyes, and Claude Levi-Strauss with equal aplomb." -- Magill's Literary Annual 2005 "Roger Scruton's Death-Devoted Heart is an elegant, erudite exploration attempting to make the operagoer 'get' this piece and, by extension, Wagner's intent in all of his Gesamtkunstwerk ventures. Scruton shows us that traditional dismissals of Tristan's brief plot as Wagner's self-therapy in the wake of a frustrated love affair miss the point...Scruton is more interested in our understanding the philosophical substrate...devoting chapters to Wagner's conceptions of love, sacrifice and redemption, and ritual."--Books & Culture "Scruton has prepared his brief with care. Medieval chivalric romance, Kantian ethics, anthropological mythography, and musicological close-work propel his sinuous but lucid argument...Death-Devoted Heart is a breathtaking book."--First Things "If you're going to disagree with Nietzsche, Plato and Schopenhauer, you'd best have your own house in order. Roger Scruton certainly does."--Opera News "Fascinating book, conveying his ideas so effectively he almost makes us hear the music...Scruton is full of engaging subtleties...written with his customary clarity and concision."--The Sunday Telegraph "Impressive new book...this distinguished, characteristically contentious book sets a standard of Wagnerian commentary which it would be a great relief to see other writers attempting to follow."--The Spectator "Roger Scruton's book is a deep and daunting study of the most important single composition in Western music, Richard Wagner's Tristan and Isolde...Scruton's examination is highly original and delves into aspects which have seldom been explored so rigorously."--The Independent, "Scruton's new book, Death-Devoted Heart: Sex and the Sacred in Wagner's "Tristan and Isolde," connects the opera in an informative way with sex and religion and shows how many primitive religions associate sex with God. Scruton also examines the drama in this opera in interesting ways andnotes how Wagner wanted the medieval setting of this opera to be taken very seriously." The Opera Quarterly, ...this is possibly the best book ever written about Tristan und Isolde from the dramatic as well as musical point of view. Scruton does not leave a historical stone unturned without dusting and exposing it to the sunlight of his extraordinary power of synthesis. And his musical analysis is phenomenal., "If you're going to disagree with Nietzsche, Plato and Schopenhauer, you'dbest have your own house in order. Roger Scruton certainly does."--OperaNews, "For those who wish to wrestle with religious and philosophical interpretations, Scruton provides ample grist and excellent analysis of the story and music."- The Opera Journal"This is possibly the best book ever written about Tristan und Isolde from the dramatic as well as the musical point of view. Scruton does not leave a historical stone unturned without dusting and exposing it to the sunlight of his extraordinary power of synthesis. And his musical analysis is phenomenal. Even if you do not read music it has plenty to grab your attention. I would buy it just for the chapter on chivalry and courtly love, for instance, in which Scruton's clairy of narration and research put many other writers to shame.... A book the reader does not want to put down."--Eduardo Benarroch"A wide-ranging analysis of Richard Wagner's influential tribute to romantic love, by a noted philosopher and social critic.... Scruton's status as an unusually accomplished polymath is apparent throughout Death-Devoted Heart, as he moves easily from topic to topic, discussing such figures as Geoffrey Chaucer, Arthur Schopenhauer, Plato, Chretien de Troyes, and Claude Levi-Strauss with equal aplomb." -- Magill's Literary Annual 2005"Roger Scruton's Death-Devoted Heart is an elegant, erudite exploration attempting to make the operagoer 'get' this piece and, by extension, Wagner's intent in all of his Gesamtkunstwerk ventures. Scruton shows us that traditional dismissals of Tristan's brief plot as Wagner's self-therapy in the wake of a frustrated love affair miss the point...Scruton is more interested in our understanding the philosophical substrate...devoting chapters to Wagner's conceptions of love, sacrifice and redemption, and ritual."--Books & Culture"Scruton has prepared his brief with care. Medieval chivalric romance, Kantian ethics, anthropological mythography, and musicological close-work propel his sinuous but lucid argument...Death-Devoted Heart is a breathtaking book."--First Things"If you're going to disagree with Nietzsche, Plato and Schopenhauer, you'd best have your own house in order. Roger Scruton certainly does."--Opera News"Fascinating book, conveying his ideas so effectively he almost makes us hear the music...Scruton is full of engaging subtleties...written with his customary clarity and concision."--The Sunday Telegraph"Impressive new book...this distinguished, characteristically contentious book sets a standard of Wagnerian commentary which it would be a great relief to see other writers attempting to follow."--The Spectator"Roger Scruton's book is a deep and daunting study of the most important single composition in Western music, Richard Wagner's Tristan and Isolde...Scruton's examination is highly original and delves into aspects which have seldom been explored so rigorously."--The Independent"Scruton's new book, Death-Devoted Heart: Sex and the Sacred in Wagner's "Tristan and Isolde," connects the opera in an informative way with sex and religion and shows how many primitive religions associate sex with God. Scruton also examines the drama in this opera in interesting ways and notes how Wagner wanted the medieval setting of this opera to be taken very seriously." The Opera Quarterly

Dewey Edition21

Dewey Decimal782.1

SynopsisIn Death-Devoted Heart Roger Scruton argues that Tristan und Isolde has profound religious meaning. Blending philosophy, criticism and musicology, he shows the work is as relevant today as it was to Wagner's contemporaries. Scruton's analysis touches on the nature of tragedy, the significance of ritual sacrifice, and the meaning of redemption., A tale of forbidden love and inevitable death, the medieval legend of Tristan and Isolde recounts the story of two lovers unknowingly drinking a magic potion and ultimately dying in one another's arms. Critics have lauded Wagner's Tristan und Isolde for the originality and subtlety of the music, but have often viewed the drama as a "mere trifle," about Wagner's own forbidden affair with Matilde Wesendonk, the wife of a banker who supported him during his exile in Switzerland. In Death-Devoted Heart Scruton aims to vindicate the stature of the drama, presenting it as more than just a sublimation of the composer's love for Wesendonck or a wistful romantic dream. Scruton argues that Tristan und Isolde has profound religious meaning, as relevant today as it was to Wagner's contemporaries. Both philosophical and musicological, Scruton's analysis touches on the nature of tragedy, the significance of ritual sacrifice, and the meaning of redemption. Scruton provides a guide to the drama while offering insight into the nature of erotic love and the peculiar place of the erotic in our culture., A tale of forbidden love and inevitable death, the medieval legend of Tristan and Isolde recounts the story of two lovers unknowingly drinking a magic potion and ultimately dying in one another's arms. While critics have lauded Wagner's Tristan and Isolde for the originality and subtlety of the music, they have denounced the drama as a "mere trifle"--a rendering of Wagner's forbidden love for Matilde Wesendonck, the wife of a banker who supported him during his exile in Switzerland. Death-Devoted Heart explodes this established interpretation, proving the drama to be more than just a sublimation of the composer's love for Wesendonck or a wistful romantic dream. Scruton boldly attests that Tristan and Isolde has profound religious meaning and remains as relevant today as it was to Wagner's contemporaries. He also offers keen insight into the nature of erotic love, the sacred qualities of human passion, and the peculiar place of the erotic in our culture. His argument touches on the nature of tragedy, the significance of ritual sacrifice, and the meaning of redemption, providing a fresh interpretation of Wagner's masterpiece. Roger Scruton has written an original and provocative account of Wagner's music drama, which blends philosophy, criticism, and musicology in order to show the work's importance in the twenty-first century.

LC Classification NumberML410.W14S47 2003