Some place between 40 and Death
5 May 2008 - 1 אייר 5768 by Huw
So, a question:
Can Wagner - and his understanding of myth, especially German myth - be purged of Wagner’s antisemitism or are they linked? Is his nearly-Jungian reading of Germany Myth always going to result in the horrors of Nazism? Or is there a way to read Wagner’s spiritual music without his anti-Semitism (as we do to even Christian saints, these days)?
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The Stripping of the Altars: Traditional Religion in England, 1400-1580 by Eamon Duffy
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This is a bit off topic, but I just found your blog and wanted to say hello. I also moved to Buffalo from far away; without ever having lived here before. Wanted to say welcome, and that I’ll be stopping by to see what you’ve got to say…
Hey Mark -
Welcome to you as well. Thanks for stopping by. I’ll be clicking over to your blog now.
Those are only learned cultural associations.
Can Wagner be purged of Warner Brother’s Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny? Can the music be purged of Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now?
David - you are quite right about the culture thing. The Wiki article on Wagner, for example, dismisses most of the later layers (Nazis like him, but he was dead by then, etc). But that doesn’t undo the connexions in other’s heads: for most of my adult life, when asked if I like Opera, I reply, “no but I like Wagner” and the I get some interesting responses.
This post was more because I’m currently going through a Wagner Phase in my music listening: a ring cycle, as it were. It sparked a post.
Mark - having browsed your blog, I’d like to make bold and suggest this topic in my posts. I’d be curious to hear your thoughts.
Huw