A Pagan Spoiled: Sex and Character in Wagner's ParsifalThis book is an original philosopical contextualisation of Wagner's final music-drama in which an analysis of both the sexual dynamics, and the religious and psychological symbolism of the action, provides the foundation for a fresh understanding of the most striking example of the conposer's life-long preoccupation with the feminization of redemption. In addition to discussions of the opera's historical and legendary sources, the author presents an examination of Otto Weiminger's fin de siecle polemic against Judaism and female sexuality, insofar as it has been regarded as itself Wagnerian. It is argued throughout the text that 'Parsifal' has much in it that is Pagan as well as Christian, and indeed that it is the unresolved pre-Christian and non-Christian tensions within the drama that contribute uniquely to its unsettling and still challenging nature. |
Contents
Preface 93 | 9 |
Objects of Desire | 35 |
KundryAnd What Else? | 60 |
Copyright | |
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Ahasverus Amfortas Amfortas's wound Anderson anti-Semitism antifeminism archetypal Beckett Borchmeyer Brade Buddhist Cambridge chapter Christ Christian context course cultural death desire Eternal Jew fact Faust female Feminine femme fatale figure fin de siècle Freud German Grail knights Gral Gurnemanz Harrowitz heal heathen holy human Hutcheon and Hutcheon Hyams hysteria Ibid idea ideal interpretation Janik Jewish Jung Kafka Kantian Karl Kraus kiss Klingsor Kundry Kundry und Stella Kundry's lance least legend London Lulu Mayreder Munsalvaesche music drama myth mythic nature Nietzsche Nike Wagner nineteenth century ninger offered opera Otto Weininger pagan Parsifal Parsifal's Parzival philosophical Poizat Porter trans psychological redeemed redemption religion religious Richard Wagner role says seductress seems sense Sex and Character sexual significance simply Slavoj Žižek soul suffering suggest supposed symbolism themes tion true understanding University Press Viola Klein Wagnerian Wandering Jew Wedekind Weib Weininger's Wittgenstein and Weininger Wolfram woman women Žižek