I Saw the World End: A Study of Wagner's Ring (Clarendon Paperbacks)
by Deryck Cooke
List Price:
Our Price: $41.17
You Save: $8.83 (18%)
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Buy Used: from $24.85 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Deryck CookeEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1992-03-12
ISBN: 0193153181
Number of pages: 368
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Book Reviews of I Saw the World End: A Study of Wagner's Ring (Clarendon Paperbacks)
Book Review: Masterly Exegesis
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is a model of thoughtful interpretation. Cooke begins by setting out why interpretation of the Ring cycle has been so difficult. This is seen as due partly to the enormous complexity of the work, partly due to the fact that prior major interpretations have been based on somewhat unrealistic preconceptions, for example, Bernard Shaw's social-political interpretation, and partly due to prior major interpretations bypassing close analysis of the music itself. Cooke develops a set of explicit criteria for an accurate interpretation of the Ring and applies them to prior major interpretative efforts. His critique of Robert Dornington's Jungian analysis, for example is moderate in tone but devastating in effect. Cooke defends Wagner against the charge that the plot and characters of the Ring are a shoddily assembled hodge-podge of myth. Cooke performs a careful analysis of Wagner's sources, using the same editions that Wagner drew from. Cooke demonstrates Wagner's careful and artful selection and modification of elements from German and Nordic mythology into a sophisticated and well integrated drama. Cooke's recurring term for Wagner's craft is masterly and he is correct. With this background, Cooke moves to a careful analysis of the plot and characters of the first 2 operas, Rheingold and Valkyrie. An essentially step by step analysis shows how Wagner used plot and character to advance his theme of the conflict of power versus love.
The only defect of this book is that it ends with the conclusion of Valkyrie. Though this book is over 350 pages long (in a small but not miniscule font), this would have been only the beginning of Cooke's projected opus on the Ring. Presumably, there would have been an equivalent amount of enlightening text on Siegfried and Gotterdamerung. Cooke then apparently planned a major work analyzing the development of musical aspects of the drama. Listeners who have heard Cooke's excellent introduction to the leitmotivs of the Ring will have had a taste of what Cooke planned. Its truly unfortunate that Cooke didn't live to complete this project.
History & Criticism Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in History & Criticism Books
KISS and Make-upby Gene Simmons
Crown; Published: 2001-12; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $19.47
Price in other shops:
Elvis Presley: A Life in Music : The Complete Recording Sessionsby Ernst Jorgensen
St Martins Pr; Published: 1998-07; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $199.48
The Devil's Horn: The Story of the Saxophone, from Noisy Novelty to King of Coolby Michael Segell
Picador; Published: 2006-08-22; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.81
Price in other shops:
Elvis: My Best Man: Radio Days, Rock 'n' Roll Nights, and My Lifelong Friendship with Elvis Presleyby George Klein, Chuck Crisafulli
Three Rivers Press; Published: 2011-01-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.49
Price in other shops:
Bill Evans: How My Heart Singsby Mr. Peter Pettinger
Yale University Press; Published: 1998-08-11; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $76.20
Microsoundby Curtis Roads
The MIT Press; Published: 2004-08-20; Paperback; Book
Best price: $24.00
Price in other shops:
Hip Hop Americaby Nelson George
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 2005-04-26; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.52
Price in other shops:
A Love Supreme: The Story of John Coltrane's Signature Albumby Ashley Kahn
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 2003-10-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.74
Price in other shops:
Jazz Styles: History and Analysis (10th Edition)by Mark C. Gridley
Prentice Hall; Published: 2008-01-17; Paperback; Book
Best price: $45.99
Price in other shops:
Dark Star: An Oral Biography of Jerry Garciaby Robert Greenfield
It Books; Published: 2009-02-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.47
Price in other shops:
Similar books summaries and other product reviews
Rackham's Color Illustrations for Wagner's "Ring"Dover Publications; Published: 2009-11-18; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.35
Price in other shops:
Wagner: The Terrible Man and His Truthful Artby M. Owen Lee
University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division; Published: 1999-09-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.91
Price in other shops:
The Wagner Operasby Ernest Newman
Princeton University Press; Published: 1991-09-23; Paperback; Book
Best price: $23.00
Price in other shops:
Finding an Ending: Reflections on Wagner's Ringby Philip Kitcher, Richard Schacht
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 2005-09-22; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.54
Price in other shops:
Wagner's Ring and Its Symbolsby Robert Donington
Faber & Faber; Published: 1984-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $51.64
Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen (Ring Cycle) / Sir Georg SoltiRelease date: 1997-10-14; Music CD
Best price: $114.96
Price in other shops:
Aspects of Wagner, Second Edition, revised and enlargedby Bryan Magee
Oxford University Press; Published: 1988; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.97
Price in other shops:
Wagner's Ring of the Nibelungby Stewart Spencer, Barry Millington, Richard Wagner
Thames & Hudson; Published: 2010-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $19.06
Price in other shops:
Wagner's Ring: Turning the Sky Roundby M. Owen Lee
Limelight Editions; Limelight Editions; Published: 1994; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.59
Price in other shops:
An Introduction to Der Ring des NibelungenWAGNER,R.; Release date: 2005-09-13; Music CD
Best price: $12.94
Price in other shops: