Wagner and Suicide

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McFarland, 2010/06/25 - 203 ページ

Composer Richard Wagner (1813-1883) likely suffered from a manic-depressive disorder but in his time very little was known about mental illness, and suicide was not a topic for general discussion. Wagner was often plagued by extreme mood swings; he used his operas, especially the librettos, to express himself and his personal difficulties.

This investigation of the suicidal themes in Wagner's life and operas--Die Fliegender Hollander, Tannhauser, Lohengrin, Tristan und Isolde, Die Meistersinger, the Ring cycle, and Parsifal--shows how manic-depressive illness, particularly the depressive part of it, affected Wagner's life and art. It also analyzes the influence of Giambattista Vico's theories of cycles (and how these theories appeared in Wagner's work), suicide as a theatrical and operatic phenomenon, and the way in which the theme of suicide has appeared in other works of the literary and performing arts.

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目次

Wagners Bipolar Life Mania and Depression
7
Der Fliegende Hollander The Isolated Personality
21
Tannhauser The Artistic Personality and Suicide
37
Lohengrin The Dream Persona from Another World
55
Tristan und Isolde Suicide as the Best Alternative
73
Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg Mania and Reconciliation
94
The Ring Cycle Suicide as Threat and Triumph
111
Parsifal Beyond Polarity
148
Suicide in Opera and Drama
165
Wagner the Decadents and the Modern British Novel
172
Conclusion
182
Bibliography
187
Index
193
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4 ページ - Es schäumt das Meer in breiten Flüssen Am tiefen Grund der Felsen auf, Und Fels und Meer wird fortgerissen In ewig schnellem Sphärenlauf.
4 ページ - Und Stürme brausen um die Wette Vom Meer aufs Land, vom Land aufs Meer, Und bilden wütend eine Kette Der tiefsten Wirkung rings umher.

著者について (2010)

John Louis DiGaetani, professor emeritus of English at Hofstra University, is the author of numerous books about opera and theater.

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