“But the worst enemy you can meet will always be yourself; you lie in wait for yourself in caverns and forests. Lonely one, you are going the way to yourself! And your way goes past yourself, and past your seven devils! You will be a heretic to yourself and witch and soothsayer and fool and doubter and unholy one and villain. You must be ready to burn yourself in your own flame: how could you become new, if you had not first become ashes?”
― Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra
Thus Spoke Zarathustra is a philosophical novel written by german philosopher Friedrich
Nietzsche.
I found out about this book for the first time at the age of 14. I don't know why, but it ended up in my personal list of literature that I must get acquainted with. A snowball of rumors and disputes about Thus Spoke Zarathustra settled in my mind; therefore, I needed to form a personal opinion about this great work of literature.
The work itself consists of four parts, in which the author describes the thoughts, dialogues and monologues of a certain fictional hero - Zarathustra. Zarathustra appears in the novel as a kind of wandering philosopher who, as he believes, carries the knowledge of a new link in the evolutionary chain of man. And this new link “superhuman” should become a logical "replacement" for the current homo sapiens. Other than preaching about superhuman, Zarathustra tells people that God is dead, and that the society should move away from Christianity and its “slave” morality. This is generally what Zarathustra speaks and thinks about.
Nietzsche, who was a first-class philologist and philosopher, wrote not only an interesting work in the field of philosophy, but also a very interesting novel from a literary point of view. The whole
process of reading did not leave me the thought that I was reading one large poem. It is written very figuratively and somewhat even lyrically. The plot consists of the literal teachings of Zarathustra and of the many symbolic scenes and images that he observes or participates in. The text is full of poetic imagery, often very beautiful and original.
The book can be read as an interesting work in philosophy or it can be cut into hundreds or thousands of quotes in order to try to understand them (or at least explain them). In any case, reading Zarathustra is not a useless pastime and it contributes to the thought process. The main thing, probably, is not to try to "squeeze" it into the framework of any dogma or system (especially political), because the novel is most likely more global and broader than any superficial impression.
The title of the book characterizes the work itself in the best way possible. And I agree that this book is for all and none. More than anything else in this book, I saw the image of the author himself. I got the impression that Nietzsche, through this book, created a platform from which he could speak out freely, not interrupted by the critics and dogmatists of contemporaneous religion and science. When I was reading the book, I personally did not empathize with the main character, but the author of the work. I felt the loneliness of the philosopher and the craving for the knowledge of the scholar. As a result, it turns out that the book looks more like a cure for Nietzsche alone; a cure for his personal phobias and complexes that any person has.
I felt a kind of relief after reading the book: many of the fictions about it turned out to be actually fictions. If before the beginning of modern history Thus Spoke Zarathustra was one of the key books (again, in philosophy and literature), now it looks more like a myth or legend. There are few books in the memory of mankind which were so mercilessly "distorted" by numerous scholastics. As a result, you can meet many people who have a "clear" idea of this book based only on rumors and rumors about those rumors, without the slightest acquaintance with the text itself.
This book is truly for all and none. A book that is not enough to read once. A book to come back to over and over again. To come back in order to try to understand it, without perverting its ideas. Come back to understand the meaning of good and evil, vice and virtue, hatred and love, lie and truth, wisdom and stupidity.
Hey! Your entire analysis was top notch but I especially loved your paradoxical and cunning ending. Nietzsche is definitely an example of an eyebrow-raiser whenever he comes up in conversation but I'm oddly inclined to read this book now. Great job!
ReplyDelete--Andrew Soliman
You passion and extensive knowledge, not just of the literally work itself but of the encompassing philosophy and context too, really shone through in your review. It is inspiring and intriguing, definitely piqued my interest! Being a fan (although still an amateur in terms of experience) of venturing within philosophical works, I will defiantly look into it! Thank you so much for your review! - Sumbal Sharif
ReplyDeleteThis book review is very enticing in making me want to leap into it. I've always had this weird hesitation towards Nietzsche, as Nihilism has always been something to be both admired and disdained simultaneously. The idea of a meaningless existence really emphasizes individual interpretation on what to do with this revelation. For some, they choose to do nothing, as existence will amount to nothing. For others, existence is not meaningless inherently, as meaning is something given to it by the individual.
ReplyDeleteOkay, now you got me curious. I've always wanted to commit to reading something in that lyrical format, or something like an epic, such as Dante's Inferno. Your review also helps to emphasize the uniqueness of the novel, such as telling us the splitting of the parts, the different writing style, or the enticing themes in regards to religion or 'superhumanity'. Your quote helps to exemplify that as well (brilliant move by the way), giving us a taste of the unique style, as well as the content and tone we might experience while reading. Finally, when you come full circle talking about rumors, starting on the notion of rumors, and transitioning into your conclusion with the affects of rumors, you tell your audience that reviews of the book can not possibly capture the entirety of the novel, and that we must read it for ourselves. Brilliant writing :) - Tyler Vidal
ReplyDeleteHaving some knowledge of the book and its ideas, I would imagine that the author would establish a sense of nihilistic views, but then again I would have to find out for myself. When I think of Nietzsche's philosophical life I could see him seeing anything luxurious like mansions or cars of great value. Where others would be in awe, impressed at the size and cost, Nietzsche would be deconstructing them in his head. Stripping them piece by piece, only to find their foundations lacking, their opulence a facade. But destructive thinking always comes to and end road, nihilism. But here nihilism is not the end but the middle, more of cul-de-sac, where one must return. Like you said, he went holding ashes and returned with fire. This would be a difficult yet interesting read.
ReplyDeleteNatalia