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Friedrich Nietzsche

The Birth of Tragedy: Out of the Spirit of Music (Penguin Classics) Paperback – January 1, 1994

by Friedrich Nietzsche (Author), Michael Tanner (Editor), Shaun Whiteside (Translator)

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The first book by the author of the classic philosophical text Beyond Good and Evil.

The youthful faults of this work were exposed by the author himself in the brilliant Attempt at a Self-Criticism, which he added to the new edition of 1886. But the book, whatever its excesses, remains one of the most relevant statements on tragedy ever penned. It exploded the conception of Greek culture that was prevalent down through the Victorian era, and it analyzed themes developed in the twentieth century by classicists, existentialists, psychoanalysts, and others.

Print length

160 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Penguin Classics
Publication date

January 1, 1994
Dimensions

5.1 x 0.4 x 7.7 inches
ISBN-10

9780140433395
ISBN-13

978-0140433395
Lexile measure

1620L
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Editorial Reviews

Review

(in full The Birth of Tragedy from the Spirit of Music) Book by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, first published in 1872 as Die Geburt der Tragodie aus dem Geiste der Musik. A speculative rather than exegetical work, The Birth of Tragedy examines the origins and development of poetry, specifically Greek tragedy. Nietzsche argues that Greek tragedy arose out of the fusion of what he termed Apollonian and Dionysian elements--the former representing measure, restraint, harmony, and the latter unbridled passion--and that Socratic rationalism and optimism spelled the death of Greek tragedy. The final part of the book is a rhapsody on the rebirth of tragedy from the spirit of Wagner's music. Greeted by stony silence at first, the book became the object of heated controversy for those who mistook it for a conventional work of classical scholarship. It remains a classic in the history of aesthetics. -- The Merriam-Webster Encylopedia of Literature

About the Author

The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche was born in Prussia in 1844. After the death of his father, a Lutheran minister, Nietzsche was raised from the age of five by his mother in a household of women. In 1869 he was appointed Professor of Classical Philology at the University of Basel, where he taught until 1879 when poor health forced him to retire. He never recovered from a nervous breakdown in 1889 and died eleven years later. Known for saying that “god is dead,” Nietzsche propounded his metaphysical construct of the superiority of the disciplined individual (superman) living in the present over traditional values derived from Christianity and its emphasis on heavenly rewards. His ideas were appropriated by the Fascists, who turned his theories into social realities that he had never intended.

Shaun Whiteside’s translations include Nietzsche’s The Birth of Tragedy and Musil’s The Confessions of Young Törless for Penguin Classics.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0140433392
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Classics; unknown edition (January 1, 1994)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 160 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780140433395
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0140433395
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1620L
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.3 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.1 x 0.4 x 7.7 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #66,712 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #19 in Philosophy Aesthetics
- #61 in Philosophy History & Survey
- #84 in Modern Philosophy (Books)

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Brian

Fascinating

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 22, 2022

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This translation makes Nietzsche's ideas very accessible.

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K.S.Ziegler

Tragedy and its relation to Myth and Music

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 6, 2013

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How did it happen that during the ascendency of Greek civilization - the very foundation of Western civilization as we know it - a dramatic art form expressing the most terrible tragedies was entertained? And how was it that during the pinnacle of that culture this tragic art form declined and its elements went underground? The author is not inclined to gloss over the essential tragedy inherent in human existence. The destruction of the individual is inevitable, and all individuation eventually causes suffering. He proceeds through the mythic context (the mythic context being essential to the Greek world view) of the gods Apollo and Dionysius. Apollo includes dream imagery, illusion, or anything that involves form; on the other hand, Dionysius includes intoxication, ecstasy, primal oneness, and the energy of music. They may be conceived as distinct and opposing, but it's their complementary state that spells balance and substance in art.

Nietzsche states, "The same impulse that is symbolized in Apollo gave birth to the entire Olympian world." The Olympians consisted of a pantheon of twelve gods and goddesses who had wrested control from the Titans, an older pantheon that represented the barbarism of Nature. Apollo was a mainstay of the Olympians, but Dionysius grew out of a cult religion and was only added later. Nietzsche states that the Greeks, being quite aware of the horrors of existence, felt compelled "to interpose the radiant dream-birth of the Olympians between themselves and these horrors". From that "radiant dream-birth" grew the myths. The book does not go into extensive detail about the myths featured in the tragedies, not like a scholarly work would; but a very important myth that it does touch on is the Prometheus myth of stealing fire from the gods. Stealing fire was like stealing power and control, and represented a defiance of divinity.

Not much can be gleaned of Greek music, but we do know that the dramatic dithyramb (the word is derived from the Greek), sung and danced by a chorus in honor of Dionysius, was a basis of what became Attic tragedy. It was the music that made the tragedy bearable and elevated it; and it was the music that rose out of tragedy in the spirit of Dionysius. The author links the decline of tragedy to what he sees as an over-reliance on reason and logic, which he pins squarely on Socrates. This over-reliance brings about an optimism that cannot be justified in life and therefore rings hollow in all art forms; and is not fertile ground for tragic dramatic art.

The arguments very much tend toward the polemical, most notably in the linking of Socrates and Euripides with the decline of Greek tragedy. Here, Nietzsche tends to think about the overreach of reason and logic during the nineteenth century rather than the tremendous achievement and significance of Greek thinkers such as Socrates during ancient times. Some sections of the book are particularly speculative such as his musings on lyric poetry and the rebirth of tragedy. He, himself, in his self-criticism of this book disparaged his youthful enthusiasm, especially in regard for Richard Wagner's music. But despite the criticism of this book, it's insights, especially concerning myth, art and tragedy, make it definitely worth reading more than once.

20 people found this helpful

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Roberto Rigolin F Lopes

Wonder ignites action

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 28, 2018

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We are in 1871, have a good look around. There are people defending that life should be "serious"; no novels, no theater, no music… But here comes Nietzsche with a counterargument! He warms up assuming that you know a great deal about Greek tragedy. And goes around asking: Why humans need art? Well, ordinary lives are full of drama but the variation between tragedy and triumph is not in the same magnitude as in mythology. In his own words: "Tragedy forces us to look at the terrors of individual existence, yet we are not to be petrified with fear". And the pleasant side is a supreme gratification from nature. Thus art sets the bounds for WONDER, so humans are set for ACTION. Once in motion, humans are no longer artists but a work of art.

13 people found this helpful

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Timothy

The Birth of Tragedy

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 16, 2019

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This book does what I love most about philosophy, which is to notice and describe the magic in life. Although I don’t agree with all of the ideas in the book, it has had a profound impact on my existence and has made me feel connected to this world.

5 people found this helpful

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Pedro Luz

Same Old Tragedy. But to be able to project beyond cultural boundaries the reaches of Greek culture is the gift of Nietzche. I like it that I makes me think and imagine. We probably still live with mythical gods. We just call them by a different name.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 22, 2017

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Same Old Tragedy. To be able to project beyond cultural boundaries the reaches of Greek culture is the gift of Nietzche. He could have titled it The Birth of Pleasure and it would stick. I like it that it makes me think and imagine. We probably still live with mythical gods. We just call them by a different name.

One person found this helpful

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VanEzzania

Nietzsche's Tragedy

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 29, 2015

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One of my favorite philosophy related books and possible my all time favorite of Nietzsche. A short book yet lengthy in terms of what Nietzsche discusses in each part. Nietzsche's discussion of the Apollonian and Dionysian dichotomy breathes life into another dualistic viewpoint that can be apply to any aspect or part of culture (the arts, religion, etc.)

2 people found this helpful

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WhiteSummerSky86

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 18, 2015

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Probably my third favorite Nietzsche book. Talks about why the will and music are related in Apollo/Dionysus relations.

One person found this helpful

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Robert Loblaw

meh

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 9, 2019

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if u like cowabunga lifestyle u'll like this

10 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

An important insight into the essence of Greek Tragedy

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 6, 2019

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Nietzsche’s view of tragedy is just that: a view. And yet, this view has taken roots into the mental framework of modernity. From Vladimir Propp to Joseph Campbell and Camille Paglia, the idea that tragedy is formed through a mixture of two distinct elements, each with its own history, seems to be taken as an orthodoxy. Dionysus and Apollo, the gods of tragedy according to Nietzsche, and Socrates the bastard who killed them! Apart from the often maniacal language that any reader of Nietzsche is already familiar (and which stopped me from giving this book 5 stars), the essay is an important reading for anyone wanting to penetrate, not only true mysteries of tragedy, but artistic creation, at least when that creation deals with the project of life.

4 people found this helpful

Jenn.

The Birth of Tragedy: Out of the Spirit of Music

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 20, 2011

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This is a small book with big ideas.

I had never read Nietzsche before and decided to read this book in conjunction with others I was reading for a talk I am giving.

Although his writing is convoluted at times, as I would expect from a philosopher, I was intrigued by what he was saying, particularly in the light of later psychoanalytic theorists, such as Freud,Lacan,Klein, Bion etc., since he seems to be working on ideas that would later become crystallized in psychoanalytic thinking and theory.

This, enabled me to shape what it was I wanted to say in my talk. I was also able to understand his thinking, not only theoretically, but also in the light of his illness, which would, later, have a profound effect on his work and his life.

I could relate also to his notion of art, and music in particular, as stimulus for experience of the sublime.

6 people found this helpful

WSG01

A.S. Byatt says that The Birth of Tragedy "haunts European culture”

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 30, 2019

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For all of the book’s faults, one has to agree with her. Nietzsche’s distinction between the Apollonian and Dioysiac is a deeply profound insight.

One person found this helpful

Robert Adlam

Essential reading for any serious student of the arts

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 20, 2013

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Friedrich Nietzsche's 'The birth of tragedy: out of the spirit of music' raises the most profound questions about the nature art. Drawing from both Greek mythology and a deep knowledge of pre-Socratic Greek art Nietzsche attempts to account for the development and fate of Greek tragic theatre. It's a fascinating account that invites the reader to consider the contrasting artistic powers that find expression in different works of art. The text also suggests why every human is a consummate artist!

2 people found this helpful

Anne

Long winded

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 20, 2018

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Long winded.

2 people found this helpful

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