I wrote this short piece on the MOOC for my Wagner class. I wanted to make a recommendation among our readings, which I have found to be both dense and deliciously written, and informative. Understanding that all of us are busy adults, and sometimes forced to skim what we might savor if we had more time, I found chapter 4 of Collin Cleary’s Wagner’s Ring and the Germanic Tradition to be the beating heart of that book. Everything before leads up to it, and everything after fee