“I don’t think I should succeed as Kundry. I don’t know what the part means.”
“But she’s a penitent. You like penitents; your Elisabeth—”
“Elizabeth is different. Elizabeth is an inward penitent, Kundry is an external, and you know I can do nothing with externalities.”
He did not understand, and it was impossible to explain without entering into a complete exposition of Ulick’s idea regarding “Parsifal.” The subject of “Parsifal” had always been disagreeable to him, but he had not been able to find any argument against the art of it. So the criticism “revolting hypocrisy,” “externality,” and the statement that the prelude to “Lohengrin” was an inspiration, whereas the prelude to “Parsifal” was but a marvellous piece of handicraft, delighted him. He had always known these things, but had
