Richard Schacht

Like a number of others, Kitcher and Schact want to propound a unified theory that will explain Wagner's monumental work. Like all the others, they can only do so by failing to integrate a huge element in the mixture. In the case of G.B. Shaw, with his economic/revolutionary thesis, he had to give up on the last opera in the tetralogy, Götterdämmerung. K&S, with their theory of Wagner's search for life's meaning in the wake of Feuerbach and Schopenhauer, must relegate the central character, Siegried, to an appendix. It's beginning to seem like a person can't make any sense of Wagner's Ring. Such a conclusion is too facile, however, and, once again, I mourn the passing of Deryck Cooke, who I am convinced would have squared the circle if he'd been able to complete the study he began with I Saw the World End.… (mais)

This is an excellent attempt at discussing some of the major issues that crop up through Wagner's Ring Cycle. It focuses mainly on Wotan and Brunhilde(The stereotypical large woman in a viking helmet that shows up in everything from Bugs Bunny to car commercials), and deals with issues like Authority, Order, Meaningful Living, Heroism, and Love. While I don't agree with how quickly the authors dismiss a Christian worldview in their discussion on how we find meaning in our lives, that is not something I need to agree with in order to gain much from this book. The main focus of the book is on the operas themselves, and not necessarily on how we can shape our lives based upon what we find in them (although they do tread somewhat in that direction). In the end, this has helped shape my understanding of the Ring Cycle much better than any synopsis or even a simple listening and/or viewing.… (mais)