Masters Theses

Date of Award

6-1988

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Major

German

Major Professor

David Lee

Abstract

This thesis examines the critical reception of Nietzsche's Götzen-Dämmerung in four countries (France, Italy, Spain and Germany) during a period of twenty years (from 1890 to 1910). The dates were chosen in order to allow enough time for the reading public to gain access to it, but the study is cut off in 1910 so as to avoid the problem of the stereotypification of Nietzsche as a destructive force partly to blame for World War I. By coincidence, the midpoint of this project is the year of Nietzsche's death (1900). This too was taken into consideration for possible effects on readership.

Götzen-Dämmerung presents several problems unrelated to the field of philosophy. Despite its importance, it has been largely ignored by the critics. Because of its title it is often wrongly assvimed that the book focuses primarily on the problem of Nietzsche's relationship with Wagner. Nietzsche also made contradictory statements regarding his intent, and critics have proposed several theories about its genesis based on Nietzsche's mental condition.

In order to explain the problem of reception, I have found it necessary to include a section on the book itself as it is related to his other works. Chapters I and II deals with the writing of the book and my view of the purpose of Götzen-Dämmerung. Chapters III-VI treat in each of the countries involved. Each of these chapters includes coimnents on the general reception of Nietzsche's work and specific reactions to Götzen-Dämmerung.

The overall conclusions are; 1) the public, in general, was more receptive to the book than the critics were; 2) Nietzsche's purpose in writing Götzen-Dämmerung was for the book to be a transition between Nietzsche's oeuvre until then and his final work, Umwerthung aller Werthe, and 3) this goal was severely hindered by the aphoristic, "shorthand" style in which Götzen-Dämmerung was written and, more importantly, by the stereotyping of Nietzsche as a pernicious influence. This was found to hold particularly true in Germany's case.

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