Pablo Massa wrote:

>Robert Peters:
>
>>The operas libretto [Magic Flute] is openly racist and misogynous.
>
>Adjectives such as "racist" and "misogynous" applied to a XVIII century
>libretto?...hmmm.  According to this, almost all western literature is
>misogynous, racist and fascist.

Yes, Shylock does come to mind.  But musically, one could point to more
subtle stereotypes, even in the verismo school.  The person who is frail,
gets sick and dies (Mimi') always seems to be a woman.  Perhaps others will
suggest different examples.  Besides Don Giovanni, what males in operas
represent evil (and the Don is a paradox to begin with--bad guy and hero)?
I can think of several women--in opera women are either paragons of virtue
or seductresses or destroying types--the queen of the night, Salome, etc.
If there is male evil it's often stereotyped with some deformity or feature
that makes that person different.  But I can think of examples that go
against this.  Othello is black, but he is driven to his terrible deed by
Iago, who after all is the closest thing to pure evil on the stage.  Wozzek
is driven to do a similar deed by his own inner demons--an interesting
transformation.

Chris Bonds