Abstract: The first Frenchman to reveal the significance of Richard Wagner’s work to his compatriots, Gérard de Nerval is still considered a Wagnerist. In fact, thanks to a direct knowledge of his writings, he manages to forge a precise idea of the Wagnerian aesthetics that he presents, beginning in 1850, in his account of the premiere of Lohengrin. He throws himself into the Wagnerian battle of 1852 and adopts a position that, with regard to the history of Wagnerism, proves to be avant-garde.
