Book excerpt: A contribution to the literature of 19th-century culture, this is a study of the close links between Wagner and the philosophy of his age. The author tries to make sense of both the man and his music by placing Wagner in the context of 19th-century thought. His sympathy for Wagner's music is tempered by an independence of mind which allows him to rethink much of the hostility towards Wagner. Revealing his anti-Semitism as virulent, but certainly not unusual, Magee argues that there is no reason to regard him as a proto-fascist and that an opinion of his politics should not cloud the judgment of his music.