Seeing Opera Anew
Published by Routledge in December 2023, this scholarly book takes a unique perspective on a subject that has always been dear to me but may seem quite different from my previous books. That subject is the powerful combination of music and drama—opera—and my Seeing Opera Anew takes a unique cultural and biological perspective rather than the more common treatment of opera offered by musicologists and historians.
I have specialized in communicating about science to nonscientists, and this book offers an evolutionary view associated with the evolutionary humanities.
I was particularly interested to understand and explain how some notable operas have the effects on audiences that they do, since finally it’s what audiences want and get from an art that sustains interest and attaches value to that art. And though I hope the book will interest scholars, my main goal was to engage serious students and opera-lovers.
I have specialized in communicating about science to nonscientists, and this book offers an evolutionary view associated with the evolutionary humanities.
I was particularly interested to understand and explain how some notable operas have the effects on audiences that they do, since finally it’s what audiences want and get from an art that sustains interest and attaches value to that art. And though I hope the book will interest scholars, my main goal was to engage serious students and opera-lovers.
Through March 2024, the book is discounted 20% with code below
