Interpreting Wagner

In this fresh and inventive book, James Treadwell lays open the rich possibilites for interpretation offered across the full range of Wagners art. Focusing on Wagners music, dramas, and prose writings, rather than on questions of biography or influence, the book carefully traces the tensions and uncertainties embedded within the composers central themes. Treadwell identifies and pursues the habitual concerns of Wagners operas and writings: enchantment, seduction, heroism, victory, transcendence, and sacredness. While Wagners work repeatedly and urgently sets itself to deny various or ambiguous interpretations, the operas themselves are nevertheless far more intricate and conflicted than this denial allows for. In this altered light, the dimensions of Wagners art are unexpectedly extended, and its enduring vitality is refreshingly reasserted.