Arts & Culture
How the Rise of the Novel Influenced the Development of Opera Libretti
Quick fact
The rise of the novel in the 18th century pushed opera composers like Mozart to use more realistic, psychologically nuanced characters—like the infamous Don Giovanni—departing from mythological gods and heroes.
Why this is interesting
You might not expect that the same forces that made novels popular also transformed opera. But how did a literary genre reshape what audiences expected from a night at the opera?