ABSTRACT
In 1933, then, as Adolf Hitler came to power and promised to overturn the Treaty of Versailles and rebuild a strong and powerful German nation, one would expect that concepts of nationalism would have continued to provide a suitable framework for French Wagner criticism. And yet, this chapter argues to the contrary: nationalism lost its power as a lens through which to debate Wagner's place in French culture. And the consequent shifts in French discourse on Wagner in the 1930s demand new frameworks for writing about Wagner and the French. The chapter outlines some of the nationalist narratives that dominated French Wagner reception up to the interwar period, reinforcing the notion that French debates around Wagner were actually discussions about the inherent tensions in the Franco-German relationship, and how these might be confronted through cultural means. Thomas Mann's relationship with Wagner's work was difficult and complex.
