The Seduction of Alban Berg’s ‘Lulu’: A Baudrillardian Perspective

Peer-reviewed

Vanja Ljubibratić


University of the Arts Helsinki (Finland)
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2145-7985

Abstract

Alban Berg’s Lulu is often seen as the tale of a femme fatale whose erotic power brings ruin through manipulation. This article reconsiders that view by reading the opera through Jean Baudrillard’s theory of seduction. Drawing on five key themes from Seduction, it argues that Lulu is less a destroyer of men than a disruptor of the logical systems seeking to define her. Through examples from the opera’s narrative and music, Lulu emerges not as a reflection of social paradigms but as resistance to fixed meaning, transparency and truth.



Keywords:

Alban Berg, Lulu, Jean Baudrillard, Seduction, social theory, feminine strategy, opera studies

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Published
2026-06-29

Cited by

Ljubibratić, V. (2026). The Seduction of Alban Berg’s ‘Lulu’: A Baudrillardian Perspective. Muzyka, 71(2), 99–120. https://doi.org/10.36744/m.4969

Authors

Vanja Ljubibratić 

University of the Arts Helsinki Finland
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2145-7985

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