Talk:Der Ring des Nibelungen: Composition of the text

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[edit] Ending of the Ring - duplication?

This very fine article has an extensive section on Wagner's troubles with writing the conclusion to Der Ring. There's also an extended section on the very same topic in the main article "Der Ring des Nibelungen." I wonder if we need to have this information in both places? Would it be better to merge the material from the main article into that which exists here?--Dogbertd 13:08, 14 November 2006 (UTC)

PS. I should say also that the first paragraph is written from a very strong POV (ie. that Wagner is a liar), and would be better replaced with something more neutral. Wagner's version of how The Ring came to be should certainly be included, along with all the evidence that says his version is unreliable, but to start an encyclopedia article with this perspective is probably wrong.--Dogbertd 14:04, 14 November 2006 (UTC)

I will recast the opening two paragraphs to reflect a neutral POV and add a citation for the argument that Wagner's account is unreliable.-- Eroica 09:36, 18 November 2006 (UTC)

On the matter of the conclusion of the Ring, perhaps the merged version belongs in the main article "Der Ring des Nibelungen", and this article should just have a brief summary (perhaps even a table listing the different versions with their dates and a few explanatory words)?-- Eroica 09:36, 18 November 2006 (UTC)

Well I agree that there should be a merged version, but I'm inclined to think it should be here rather than in Der Ring des Nibelungen. The main article is already quite long and the inclusion of my rather extensive section on the ending of the cycle seems to me to be out of place there. OTOH to include it here seems to me to be absolutely right: a general reader might not want to know all the dithering that took place in Wagner's mind over the final pages of the Ring, but someone already interested enough to read an article specifically on the composition of the text might well be interested. When I get some time I'll work on this. --Dogbertd 09:16, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

OK, I've merged the two into this single page and removed the section on the ending of the Ring from the main article. Hope this still looks OK.--Dogbertd 16:53, 7 December 2006 (UTC)