Zarathustra is a new symbol of wisdom in the modern era; he teaches that man is now burdened with the task of creating a meaning for himself. So many things are explored, celebrated or indicted with ambitious and sharp leaps of metaphors: Moral relativism, comparative theology and eternal recurrence, nothing short of the love of life, the will to life. In the prologue, Nietzsche describes Zarathustra's isolation in the mountains and his intention to descend so that he can teach mankind. by Penguin Books, Also sprach Zarathustra: Ein Buch für Alle und Keinen. Though I doubt that I could read the German version as easily as I once could, I still much prefer it to the translations. I wish I could read German well enough to understand the nuances of Nietzsche's original narrative. In Zarathustra's speeches, he speaks of the "three metamorphoses of the spirit" (25), which include how the spirit becomes a camel, the camel a lion, and the lion a child. I suppose I am one of the latter. Nietzsche was one of the most revolutionary thinkers in Western philosophy, and Thus Spoke Zarathustra remains his most influential work. This I HAD to read. Zarathustra’s style is Biblical, almost like one of the Old Testament prophets lamenting society’s turning away from the truth, and he preaches and raves like a prophet too. These notions may not be mutually exclusive, but if one reads each character in this novel as an expression of his beliefs, it is easy to spot many incongruities. However, while reading; I had to repeat many chapters twice because of his kind of strange and blunt language!. We’d love your help. JOYS AND PASSIONS. Whoever reads his post-humously published writings for the years 1869-82 with care, will constantly meet with passages suggestive of Zarathustra’s thoughts and doctrines. The text itself was just a rambling stream of consciousness rant that I would expect from a sophomore philosophy major. It describes how the ancient Persian prophet Zarathustra descends from his solitude in the mountains to tell the world that God is dead and that the Superman, the human embodiment of divinity, is his successor. Thus Spoke Zarathustra Thus Spoke Zarathustra is Nietzsche’s philosophical-literary masterpiece. Thus Spoke Zarathustra was conceived while Nietzsche was writing The Gay Science ; he made a small note, reading "6, feet beyond man and time", as evidence of this. He was interested in the enhancement of individual and cultural health, and believed in life, creativity, power, and the realities of the world we live in, rather than those situated in a world beyond. “I am a forest, and a night of dark trees: but he who is not afraid of my darkness, will find banks full of roses under my cypresses.”, “The higher we soar the smaller we appear to those who cannot fly.”. Thus Spoke Zarathustra is a foundational work of Western literature and is widely considered to be Friedrich Nietzsche’s masterpiece. "Thus Spoke" doesn't seem to be one of those. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published But now, having done so the only honest reaction that I can offer is "what the ! Due to the immense power of Nietzsche's writing, it remains highly readable, even for those who are not usually comfortable reading philosophy. People That Have Already Read A Substantial Amount Of Nietzsche's Other Work, "Have you ever said Yes to a single joy? Nietzsche himself co… It was my first encounter with existential thought, a stinging critique of the very nature of values and belief. Perhaps he is suggesting that we value truth and still recognize that truth itself is a serpentine concept in the sphere of time. I was warned that Nietzsche was dangerous for young readers (like Machiavelli) because he went insane. Zarathustra is a kind of modern day prophet. Welcome back. It would be presumptuous to suggest I had the capacity to evaluate or even say anything new about Nietszche, who along with Karl Marx was one of the two most influential thinkers of the past two centuries. "Thus Spoke" doesn't seem to be one of those. 'Enigmatic, vatic, emphatic, passionate, often breathtakingly insightful, his works together make a unique statement in the literature of European ideas' A. C. Grayling Central to his philosophy is the idea of “life-affirmation,” which involves an honest questioning of all doctrines that drain life's expansive energies, however socially prevalent those views might be. @#$ did I just read." We’d love your help. Zarathustra warns man of the power of `Good and Evil,' of preachers of virtues and the soul. Nihilism is also very ingrained in what in Bowie’s cynicism of lyric. The time has come for man to plant the seed of his highest hope" (17). This is so many things at once: it is wise and intelligent; it is funny and perceptive; it is creative and playful, but it is also nonsensical and impenetrable. As a philosophical work, it is not the traditional essay. Zarathustra suggests the importance of this idea in Thus Spoke Zarathustra. He writes that the mob is "innocently crooked, it always lies" and that "nothing is more valuable and rare today than honesty." Nietzsche does not want to persuade anyone into any system of belief. Nietzsche constantly contradicts himself, uses poor logic and reasoning, and pushes for a social order that benefits only the elite. John Lee has read audiobooks in almost every conceivable genre, from Charles Dickens to Patrick O'Brian, and from the very real life of Napoleon to the entirely imagined lives of sorcerers and swashbucklers. It is a book that I once read at least once a year and it never failed to fill my mind with hope and ideas. it is impossible to "experience" this book and preserve your identity. It seems heavy reading at first, but it grows progressively easier once you get used to his language and ideas. Start by marking “Thus Spoke Zarathustra” as Want to Read: Error rating book. Appended as a title to aphorism 342 of The Gay Science are the words “Incipit tragoedia” (“the tragedy begins”). Horror movies never frightened me in the same way certain works of literature and film did. have you ever read the bible or the Quran ? I find nothing but hope in the works of Nietzsche. This is one of my top 3 favorite books of all time. I'm appalled of Nietzsche's idea that the great men of the world should walk all over the little, regular people to achieve their greatness. “I tell you: one must still have chaos in one, to give birth to a dancing star. I totally disagree with those who consider Nietzsche to be hard, stern, and without hope. Goodreads Synopsis: Nietzsche was one of the most revolutionary and subversive thinkers in Western philosophy, and Thus Spoke Zarathustra remains his most famous and influential work. Rather, he means that the concept of God as a gateway to finding meaning in life is dead and that the meaning of life should be found not in religious worship but within the self as an exemplar of true humanity–the ‘Superman’. Zarathustra in Thus Spake Zarathustra is not the Persian founder of Zoroastrianism, he is just a means to Friedrich Nietzsche’s end. He says: "this god whom I created was man-made and madness, like all Gods!" Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra remains one of the most powerful and cryptic tomes in the history western thought. Reading through Zarathustra as a teenager was a singularly powerful experience; the work defies categorization or genre, time or place. For Nietzsche, even the lion of freedom is not sufficient; the child who can create represents the possibility of an overman. Zarathustra might be called the God of the Body as he claims that it was originally the sick and decaying who hated the body and nature and subsequently created heaven. It seemed to be page after page of words leading the reader nowhere. It is full of symbolism, so subsequent readings are beneficial, though the first time is special. ― Friedrich Nietzsche, quote from Thus Spoke Zarathustra “I am a forest, and a night of dark trees: but he who is not afraid of my darkness, will find banks full of roses under my cypresses.” “you must be ready to burn yourself in your own flame; Many fascinating discussions have explored what could have influenced Nietzsche: the social milieu of late 19th century Europe, the contradictions of Enlightenment thought, etc. 6, at p. 343 of the KSA.) By ... Goodreads is the world's largest site for readers with over 50 million reviews. He leaves the world to live as a hermit in the mountains, but one day his heart is "transformed" and he feels the need to go back into the world of humanity. This novel is a bit complex. Through Zarathustra, Nietzsche tries to define his own philosophy attacking the Christian values of good and evil and predicting the rise of a new man, the superman, a self-mastered, self-cultivating, self-directed and self-overcoming individual. While I enjoy reading some of Nietzsche's works, I enjoy them most when he centers them around his "ideal man" concept. We... To see what your friends thought of this book, 45 New YA Mysteries and Thrillers You Won't Be Able to Put Down. Zarathustra, the character through which Nietzsche vicariously spews forth his world-view, is a pompous, narcissistic, ego maniac that is so obsessed with how right he is, he can't see just how terribly wrong he ends up being. His message is a bit different, enjoining his listeners to turn away from a traditional notion of God a. A good (basic) overview of the concept of The Eternal Recurrence. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) was a German philosopher whose best-known works include Beyond Good and Evil and Thus Spoke Zarathustra. It was my first encounter with existential thought, a stinging critique of the very nature of values and belief. This I HAD to read. For sure you will be thinking about what is said here for a long, long time. Is this a work of philosophy or poetry? However, for all of man's creative efforts in conjuring systems of value, man still is left without a clear goal. Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche Friedrich Nietzsche's most accessible and influential philosophical work, misquoted, misrepresented, brilliantly original and enormously influential, Thus Spoke Zarathustra is translated from the German by R.J. Hollingdale in Penguin Classics. Horror movies never frightened me in the same way certain works of literature and film did. Friedrich Nietzsche’s most accessible and influential philosophical work, misquoted, misrepresented, brilliantly original and enormously influential Nietzsche was one of the most revolutionary and subversive thinkers in Western philosophy, and Thus Spoke Zarathustra remains his most famous and influential work. This work is an action, something to be witnessed. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Zarathustra, the character through which Nietzsche vicariously spews forth his world-view, is a pompous, narcissistic, ego maniac that is so obsessed with how right he is, he can't see just how terribly wrong he ends up being. Zarathustra’s style is Biblical, almost like one of the Old Testament prophets lamenting society’s turning away from the truth, and he preaches and raves like a prophet too. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Reading, Nietzsche tends to be one of those philosophers that readers either really like (the literary crowd who reads the occasional philosopher) or really don't like (the philosophy crowd who reads the occasional novelist). He says that the existence of the general population is justified only by the fact that there may come out of them a greater race (Hitler was a big fan of this view as well). This is not an entertaining genre to read about but is pretty simple. Nietzsche is passing his philosophical project onto Zarathustra as an author might pass his personal impressions onto a fictional character. @#$ did I just read." Maybe I came in at the wrong time and if I started reading him at one of his earlier books I would have gotten a lot more out of it, but honestly, I'm not sure a gun to my head could convince me to read him again. Th. You should be familiar with Nietzsche’s writings if you are looking forward to reading this one. (Thus the citation earlier in the footnote is to Ecce Homo, in vol. (33). Nietzsche planned to write the book in three parts over several years. He was interested in the enhancement of individual and cultural health, and believed in life, creativity, power, and the realities of the world we live in, rather than those situated in a world beyond. Zarathustra imparts his unworldly advice and wisdom to those who do not understand it. In the prologue, Nietzsche describes Zarathustra's isolation in the mountains and his intention to descend so that he can teach mankind. We use cookies to give you the best possible experience.