Customer Reviews

Ring of Power: Symbols and Themes Love Vs. Power in Wagner's Ring Cycle and in Us- A Jungian-Feminist Perspective (Jung on the Hudson Book Series)

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I won't launch into an academic review or a precise of the story. Suffice to say that this is a wonderful book. For 30 - something women, particularly who identify with a patriarchal 'Wotan' figure and his defiant daughter (Brunnhilde) who forsakes wealth and power for love, this is a journey with which you will be familiar. And a wonderfully warm insight into what can be acheived by such women should they take some risks and act from their hearts! Many books have been written on the suppression of the feminine in society but this multi faceted gem allows a glimpse of so many layers of understanding in such an accessible way that it is irresistible. A peek at Carl Jung, an introduction to the genius of Wagner, the insights of the mythologies and the interpretation and storytelling genius of Jean Shinoda Bolen. If nothing else, this book is good value! So much in one package - a rare find these days indeed!

This was the book I was looking for when I first discovered the Ring, probably 15 years or so ago. It is a book for the Ring lover, feminist, and psychologist alike. Although Jean Bolen writes from a psychological, rather than a musical perspective, her understanding adds immeasureably to the experience of the music. And it also adds to our understanding of the story, and the archetypal levels of meaning that underlie any powerful myth. Jean is a natural storyteller. She brings the story of the Rheingold and the Gods to life and into everyday consciousness. From her feminist, Jungian perspective, she describes how the themes of the Ring, though universal, specifically apply to our lives today. In the Rheingold, she talks about the quest for power and its' psychological cost, in the Valkyrie, she discusses the authoritarian father and the repressed feminine, in Siegfried, the hero as adult-child and in Gotterdammerung, how the truth brings an end to the cycle of destructive power. In two particularly moving chapters, she describes what we can do today to free ourselves from the "ring Cycle" and move beyond Valhalla into a Post-Patriarchal world. I would highly recommend this book as an addition to her previous works, "Goddesses in Everywoman" and "Gods in Everyman", but also as a stand-alone, too. It should appeal to a wider audience, in that it will also include music lovers who may be unfamiliar with Jungian-feminist theory but are looking for a richer understanding of the Ring. In addition, it should appeal to people-in-general who are searching for truth-in-story and myth and music as a way out of patriarchal consciousness.

This is a very personal take on Der Ring. She states that she specifically avoided reading other books about the ring before completing her's so that the analysis would come from her and not be influenced by other sources. The analysis is based upon her training as a Jungian analyst and her experience with patients over the years.

On the plus side, we get a direct look at how a modern day Jungian sees the story and the symbols and how she relates them to her particular world view. There are headings like "Siglinde as Victim: The Psychology of Abuse" and "The Authoritarian Father and the Dysfunctional Family". She uses the characters and plot as a jumping off point to discuss particular aspects her brand of psychology. It is fairly stimulating and interesting.

However, because she makes no attempt to contextualize the story or to understand what Wagner's intentions were I don't feel the book actually illuminated the Operas for me. It's kind of like having a a Catholic priest explaining Buddhist iconography according to Catholic doctrine. No matter how great the analysis is, the original intent behind the work is lost because the artist and his mental world are not considered. Decontextualizing an artistic work might be a valid method of analysis of art, but for me it isn't a very satisfying one.

The other drawback to the book is the music isn't examined. Wagner made a point of telling people that half of the message was contained in the music.

In summary then, if you would like an interesting read about how a modern Jungian explains Der Ring without reference to Wagner or his time, then this book is for you. If you are looking to understand what Wagner was trying to communicate with Der Ring, then you should look elsewhere.

Certainly one of Bolen's most essential works. Ring Of Power provides a valuable guide to Wagner's classic Ring Cycle, yet it is Bolen's grasp of the archetypal basis for the mythology that gives the book its power.

All creation comes from an archetypal base, and in The Ring, it is the symbolic sacrificing of the Sacred Feminine that drives the entire story. This principle is fundamental to many pieces, including Faust, the Grail legends and even Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.

In each case, only the restoration of that which has been sacrificed in a Faustian pact can make healing occur. Bolen's genius is never clearer than in this book, and it was pivotal to the concluding sections of my own book, Sirius Moonlight: The Origins Of The Suppression Of The Feminine.

I would strongly recommend Ring Of Power, and indeed all of Bolen's works - especially her autobiographical Crossing To Avalon. People who doubt the importance of Thinking Person's Feminism might consider this... 84 years ago Jean Shinoda Bolen would not have been able to vote, own her own house or inherit property from her father. Like every other woman in the highly civilized English-speaking world.

My own book is dedicated to the nine million women who were murdered by the Church during the Inquisition, for such heinous crimes as being midwives and healers. Lest we forget. If the patriarchal Valhalla is now burning, all I can say is pass the gasoline. Good job, Jean.

Not knowing much about Jungian psychology, except for what I remember from my Pysch 101 class, I found this book very easy to get into, given that I knew the basic story of both the Ring cycle and the mythology behind it. I appreciated the ability to see how these archetypes are introduced and challenged in the cycle. While it is a bit simplistic, as one other commenter wrote, it is such so that those who do not have a background in psychology can understand where Bolen is coming from in her approach of the text and music.

This was the book I was looking for when I first discovered the Ring, probably 15 years or so ago. It is a book for the Ring lover, feminist, and psychologist alike. Although Jean Bolen writes from a psychological, rather than a musical perspective, her understanding adds immeasureably to the experience of the music. And it also adds to our understanding of the story, and the archetypal levels of meaning that underlie any powerful myth. Jean is a natural storyteller. She brings the story of the Rheingold and the Gods to life and into everyday consciousness. From her feminist, Jungian perspective, she describes how the themes of the Ring, though universal, specifically apply to our lives today. In the Rheingold, she talks about the quest for power and its' psychological cost, in the Valkyrie, she discusses the authoritarian father and the repressed feminine, in Siegfried, the hero as adult-child and in Gotterdammerung, how the truth brings an end to the cycle of destructive power. In two particularly moving chapters, she describes what we can do today to free ourselves from the "ring Cycle" and move beyond Valhalla into a Post-Patriarchal world. I would highly recommend this book as an addition to her previous works, "Goddesses in Everywoman" and "Gods in Everyman", but also as a stand-alone, too. It should appeal to a wider audience, in that it will also include music lovers who may be unfamiliar with Jungian-feminist theory but are looking for a richer understanding of the Ring. In addition, it should appeal to people-in-general who are searching for truth-in-story and myth and music as a way out of patriarchal consciousness.

Jean Shinoda Bolen's book on Wagner is appropriately titled - with a complete absence of poetry, it is what it is. The only amendment I could propose would be to add the phrase "A Brief Introduction to" at the beginning.

Full disclosure -- I found Ms. Bolen's book after my first "work-through" of the Karajan recording of the complete Ring, and I was eager to delve deeper into Wagner's titanic opera. Bolen's work is fine, as far as it goes, but it doesn't go very far.

A brief book (around 200 pages, with very large type), "Ring of Power" restricts itself to the visual and textual aspects of Wagner's opera. Divided into four main chapters -- one for each of the operas of the Ring -- "Ring of Power" provides a brief plot synopsis of each opera followed by an exploration of some of the Jungian themes contained in the opera. The synopses are workmanlike and relatively thorough textual analyses, and I can safely say that I have a clearer picture of the action than after listening to the opera on CD.

The exploration of Jungian themes is a bit difficult to swallow at times. Bolen relates many of the ideas Wagner explores (sacrificing love for power, the problems of patriarchy, the insidious impact of child abuse, etc.) to her current practice as clinical psychologist (or some other mental health professional -- sorry, Ms. Bolen). It is rather jarring to juxtapose one of the most titanic, mythic operas to some of the "crises" Ms. Bolen witnesses in her practice, which seem just so mundane. Ms. Bolen defends her analogies and her theories as much as she needs to in this brief work, but even this solidly-written book cannot be considered to have the heft of actual "proof."

The most jarring omission from "Ring of Power" is a near-complete absence of any discussion of the role of music. We are talking opera here, and one of the defining works of the genre. Wagner's musical achievements in the Ring have been documented over and over, and Ms. Bolen virtually ignores this subject. The end result is that she reduces Wagner's Ring to a story -- a powerful one, to be sure, but an opera is so much more than its storyline.

For those, like me, who are new to this wonder that is Wagner's Ring, Ms. Bolen's book is a fine exploration of some of the basic plot points and themes. I am no student of Jung, so I really wasn't too jazzed about the analogies to Ms. Bolen's patients, although some were more interesting than others. However, the scope of this book is too limited for it to qualify as a suitable "companion" to the Ring or an exploration of all the ideas -- both textual and musical -- contained in this wondrous creation.

This is a great book for a psycho-analytic approach to Wagner's "Ring" operas. Of course no one single interpretation does the Ring justice, but I found this author's views enlightening. It's also a fun introduction to Jungian psychology if you are a Wagner "Ring-head" (author's term.)

Some of the sentences in the book are awkward and may take rereading a few times to understand, so the book should have been edited better. Also, the last two chapters in the book "Freeing ourselves from the Ring Cycle" and "Beyond Valhalla" were interesting, but it also seemed to be a lengthy summary of the Ring commentaries.

There is no musical analysis of Wagner's work in this book, so readers expecting a discussion of leitmotifs should look elsewhere.

This is the kind of book which would have some appeal to devotees of the typical 'feminist spirituality'. Unfortunately, her appeals to the 'ancient matriarchy' are ahistorical, and her analysis of the Ring itself simple. A book does not need to be intensely musical, but the opera itself is rather neglected. The story can be made to fit into the Jungian paradigm, but only by a very selective reading of the poetry, which neglects the richness of the Ring. If you have to go Jungian, go with Donington. Better yet, go with Deryck Cooke for an introduction.