Turning Wheel: A Study of Contracts and Oaths in Wagner's Ring

by David A. White

This reflective analysis of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen demonstrates that even from a purely aesthetic perspective the contract as an institution is just as vital to the Ring as are the characters linked to each other by this institution.

135 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1988

About the author

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David A. White has a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Toronto and has taught philosophy in colleges and universities since 1967. He has written eight books and more than 50 articles in philosophy, literary criticism, and educational theory.

In 1985, he received a fellowship from the American Council of Learned Societies to study the function of myth in Plato's philosophy. Since 1993, he has taught programs in philosophy for the gifted centers and various magnet schools of the Chicago Public School system, the International Baccalaureate program at Lincoln Park High School in Chicago and Northwestern University's Center for Talent Development, grades 4–9.

White is an adjunct associate professor in the philosophy department of DePaul University and also teaches for DePaul's American Studies program. White is married to a philosopher, Mary Jeanne Larrabee, and has two sons, Daniel and Colin, both of whom, as demonstrated by their advanced knowledge of mathematics and the principles of computer science, are much smarter than he is