Quest for the Gesamtkunstwerk and Richard Wagner

The Gesamtkunstwerk (''total work of art''), once a key concept in Wagner studies, has become problematic. This book sheds light on this conundrum by first tracing the development of the concept in the 19th century through selected examples, some of which include combinations of different art forms. It then focuses on the culmination of the Gesamtkunstwerk in Wagner''s theories and in the practice...