Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm, 1844-1900; Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm, 1844-1900 -- Criticism and interpretation; Philosophy
Nietzsche followed "The Genealogy of Morals" with "The Case of Wagner,"
that famous pamphlet in which he excoriated the creator of Parsifal.
Immediately after the publication of this attack, he began work on
what was to be still another preparatory book for "The Will to Power."
For its title he first chose "Idle Hours of a Psychologist." The book,
a brief one, was already on the presses when he changed the caption
to _"Götzendämmerung"_--"The Twilight of the Idols"--a titular
parody on Wagner's _"Götterdämmerung"_ For a subtitle he appended a
characteristically Nietzschean phrase--"How to Philosophise with the
Hammer." The writing of this work was done with great rapidity: it was
accomplished in but a few days during August, 1888. In September it
was sent to the publisher, but during its printing Nietzsche added a
chapter headed "What the Germans Lack," and several aphorisms to the
section called "Skirmishes in a War with the Age." In January, 1889,
the book appeared.
Nietzsche was then stricken with his fatal illness, and this was the
last book of his to appear during his lifetime. "The Antichrist" was
already finished, having been written in the fall of 1888 immediately
after the completion of "The Twilight of the Idols." _"Ecce Homo"_
his autobiography, was written in October, 1888; and during December
Nietzsche again gave his attention to Wagner, drafting "Nietzsche
_contra_ Wagner," a pamphlet made up entirely of excerpts from his
earlier writings. This work, intended to supplement "The Case of
Wagner," was not published until 1895, although it had been printed
and corrected before the author's final breakdown. "The Antichrist"
appeared at the same time as this second Wagner document, while _"Ecce
Homo"_ was withheld from publication until 1908. "The Twilight of the
Idols" sold 9,000 copies, but Nietzsche's mind was too clouded to
know or care that at last he was coming into his own, that the public
which had denied him so long had finally begun to open its eyes to his
greatness.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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