Thomas Bargatzky presents a paper with the title: "Nature and Myth in Richard Wagner's Ring - An Anthropological Perspective". He argues that in "Der Ring des Nibelungen", Wagner employs anthropological, mythological and philosophical topics, ideas and characters in a way which often contravenes their original intent. In the "Ring", Wagner takes leave of the political optimism of his younger years, as it became manifest in his vision of a communal "art-work of the future". The pessimism informing the Ring-cycle testifies to its actuality, as is shown in the recent discussions on the "Staatendämmerung" following the European soverign debt crisis.
