Friedrich Nietzsche and Weimar Classicism (Studies in German Literature Linguistics and Culture) [Hardcover]

Paul Bishop (Author), R.H. Stephenson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2004 | ISBN-10: 1571132805 | ISBN-13: 978-1571132802

This book argues that Nietzsche's polemics against the 19th-century reception of Goethe and Schiller should not obscure his own more positive evaluation of Weimar classicism, as has generally been the case. The authors uncover the continuing influence of Weimar classicism at the very heart of Nietzsche's aesthetic theory, which in turn became the cornerstone of his epistemological and moral concerns. The book takes as its starting point the view that Thus Spoke Zarathustra has a single, coherent message that it identifies with what Goethe called "the gospel of beauty." A hitherto unappreciated unity of plot, style, and argument is thus revealed in both Zarathustra and Nietzsche's philosophical oeuvre as a whole, showing how he participates in a "perennial aesthetic." In this connection Nietzsche's statement in The Gay Science is revealing: "I want to learn more and more to see what is necessary in things as what is beautiful ? then I shall be one of those who make things beautiful." The book provides an overview of related scholarly literature; discusses Nietzsche's aesthetic theory in The Birth of Tragedy; recounts the composition of Thus Spoke Zarathustra and offers an interpretation of its "aesthetic gospel"; a concluding chapter explores historical continuities in aesthetic theory. By demonstrating the constitutive function of the aesthetics of Weimar classicism in his philosophy, this book opens up a fresh and original perspective on Nietzsche. Paul Bishop is Professor of German, and R. H. Stephenson is William Jacks Professor of German Language and Literature, both at the University of Glasgow.

Editorial Reviews

Review

(The authors) make a convincing case that both the vocabulary and imagery of Weimar aesthetics, represented principally in the writings of Goethe and Schiller, are central to Nietzsche's aesthetic project.... NEW NIETZSCHE STUDIES Students of Nietzsche ... will welcome this instructive and finely wrought study, which maps the influence of Schiller and Goethe on Nietzsche's thought. CHOICE Drawing knowledgeably on the works of Goethe and Schiller and on a wide range of sources from Nietzsche's oeuvre ... this assiduously researched study gives a new resonance to numerous passages and to key terms in Nietzsche's writings. GERMAN QUARTERLY The great strength of this study lies in its erudite and lucid discussions of Die Geburt der Tragödie and Also sprach Zarathustra in the first three chapters. MODERN LANGUAGE REVIEW

About the Author

Paul Bishop is Professor of German at the University of Glasgow, and editor of Nietzsche and Antiquity: His Reaction and Response to the Classical Tradition (Camden House, 2004); R. H. Stephenson is William Jacks Professor of German Language and Literature at the University of Glasgow, and author of Goethe's Conception of Knowledge and Science (Edinburgh University Press, 1995).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 293 pages
• Publisher: Camden House (November 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1571132805
• ISBN-13: 978-1571132802
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,891,566 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)