Couverture : Opera, Sex and Other Vital Matters

Couverture : Open Library

← Fiche de l'œuvre

Opera, Sex and Other Vital Matters

Paul Robinson

Résumé

Opera, Sex, and Other Vital Matters gathers both classic and never-before-published essays from one of the leading stylists in contemporary American letters, and one of our more revered public intellectuals, Paul Robinson. Diverse and elegant, the essays in this new collection showcase the sly wit and lightly worn erudition of their author. Each celebrates art and the flesh, directing us to the twin ecstasies of music and eros. The essays on opera gathered here explore how masterpieces like Fidelio and The Magic Flute reflect the intellectual currents of their day. Be it the work of Verdi or Mozart, Wagner or Strauss, Robinson compels us to search for meaning not just in the lyrics of opera but also in the music. In melody, not libretto, we are more likely to discern key historical complexities and appreciate the way opera transcends language and time. The essays on sexuality, meanwhile, are ruminative, funny, and even moving. At one moment, Robinson measures whether homosexuality is the result of destiny or free choice. In another, he shares a touching exchange of letters with a gay student in the process of coming out. The final essays that encompass "other vital matters" find Robinson at his most incisive. Whether defending Freud as the most influential thinker of the twentieth century, attacking the dreaded use of semicolons, reflecting on his own mortality, or even meditating on the nature of cats, Sex, Opera, and Other Vital Matters is an eclectic work that will appeal to any reader interested in the continuing relevance of ideas to life.

Détails de l'édition

ISBN-13
9780226721828
ISBN-10
0226721825
EAN
9780226721828
Éditeur
The University of Chicago press (Chicago)
Date de publication
8 juin 2002
Langue
en
Pages
358
Provenance des données
  • language Google Books · 8 septembre 2026
  • page_count Google Books · 8 septembre 2026
  • publication_date Google Books · 8 septembre 2026
  • summary Google Books · 8 septembre 2026
  • title Google Books · 8 septembre 2026