In the 20th century, W. H. Auden once called Wagner "perhaps the greatest genius that ever lived", while Thomas Mann and Marcel Proust were heavily influenced by him and discussed Wagner in their novels.
No século XX, W. H. Auden chamou a Wagner unha vez "quizais o maior xenio que nunca existiu", mentres que Thomas Mann e Marcel Proust estaban moi influenciados por el e falaron de Wagner nas súas novelas.