A common theme of dramas and novels about the lives of artists is not only their uninhibited artistic creativity but also their self-doubt. This theme was increasingly presented at the beginning of the 20th century as aesthetic and psychological considerations became more and more interwoven. This book compares well-known narcissists such as Oscar Wilde or André Gide to dramatists and opera composers such as J.M. Barrie or Franz Schreker, who presented the artists' conflict between self-hatred and self-destruction on stage.

Sebastian Stauss, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.