Deviant Opera – Sex, Power, and Perversion on Stage

"Smart, brave, and deeply knowledgeable. Opera criticism does not get better than this."--Lawrence Kramer, author of The Hum of the World: A Philosophy of Listening

"Any opera lover who dismisses a BDSM-inflected opera production as simply the latest Regietheater fad needs to read this riveting study. Englund uncovers surprisingly analogous connections between BDSM (its conventions, "transgressions," and semiotics) and opera--a cultural practice that has luxuriated in extremes of sexuality, violence, and power for four centuries."--Kristi Brown-Montesano, author of Understanding the Women of Mozart's Operas