This multidisciplinary collection of readings offers new interpretations of Richard Wagner's ideological position in German history. The issues discussed range from the biographical - the reasons for Wagner's travels, his political life - to the aesthetic and ideological, regarding his re-creation of medieval Nuremberg, his representations of gender and nationality, his vocal iconography, his anti-Semitism, his vegetarian and Christian arguments, and, finally, his musical heirs.

Ranging from Hellenistic pastoral to the contemporary counterculture activities of the Greens, the essays in this volume underscore the complexity of simplicity. Whether the simple life is located in a culture's past or in its future, in a secluded corner or beyond society's boundaries, it remains a fascinating subject for discussion.