Product Description

The philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) was almost wholly neglected during his sane life, which came to an abrupt end in 1889. Since then he has been appropriated as an icon by an astonishingly diverse spectrum of people, whose interpretations of his thought range from the highly irrational to the firmly analytical. Thus Spoke Zarathustra introduced the 'superman' and The Twilight of the Idols developed the 'Will to Power' concept; these term, together with 'Sklavenmoral' and 'Herrenmoral', became confused with the rise of nationalism in Germany. Idiosyncratic and aphoristic, Nietzsche is always bracing and provocative, and temptingly easy to dip into. Michael Tanner's readable introduction to the philosopher's life and work examines the numerous ambiguities inherent in his writings. It also explodes the many misconceptions fostered in the hundred years since Nietzsche wrote, prophetically: 'Do not, above all, confound me with what I am not!'

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #22086 in Books
• Published on: 2000-10-19
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 120 pages

About the Author
Michael Tanner is a Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and a University Lecturer in Philosophy. He is author of Wagner (Fontana, 1995).

Customer Reviews

A great overview of Nietzsche's work
This book, one of a series of 'Very Short Introductions' presents Nietzsche from a broadly chronological viewpoint, mainly covering his work, but also extending into his life. It is written by someone with an obviously extensive knowledge of his subject, and an authoritative, gratifyingly honest approach. Possibly more importantly, Tanner seems to have a very good 'feel' for Nietzsche's intentions, something crucially important to studies of the idiosyncratic, often challenging approach of this particular philosopher. Speaking as an undergraduate student embarking on a dissertation study of Nietzsche, I found this book to be an extremely good introduction to the depth of the man's work, and would heartily recommend it to anyone with any interest in modern philosophy.

Great introduction
Michael Tanner presents Nietzsche in an engaging, accessible way for the complete beginner (which is no mean feat!) The book is more of a primer than an introduction and really supplemented by reading the works presented simultaneously or shortly after to get a real feel for him but Tanner presents Nietzsche and his work in such a way that you'll want to read him anyway. On the other hand if you just want a better idea of what Nietzsche was on about, this book will provide you with an explanation of Nietzsche's main theories. Sometimes it does get a little dense and difficult to read but less so than some other so called introductions to philosophers and philosophic ideas. A great introduction into one of the most influential modern thinkers.

If you're not used to academic writing or philosophy this isn't for you
I expected to read a book which would explain the basics of Nietzsche clearly, without having to go out and research further. Instead, I found myself frantically searching technical terms and obscure references in Wikipedia (which, by the way, explained Nietzsche in far simpler language).

There are parts which start off clear, but descend into confusion. Without explaining what 'Apolline and Dionysiac' actually means - the author goes on to discuss Nietzsche's views on... them. He stumbles into terms such as 'metaphysics' without explaining what that means to the reader.

Phrases such as "...the Greek epic is an Apolline art form, and its proudest manifestation is of course the Iliad, a work that delights us with its lucidity and its hard edges," just seem to patronise and assume that we should have a knowledge of Greek literature.

Would your average layman be able to read this without consulting other sources? Not at all - as part of a reading list for those wanting to get into philosophy, philology or Greek literature, it's a great book I'm sure. But for those who have simply heard his name and want to know a bit more, it's a little too frustrating.

On this subject it seems: Wikipedia is free, far clearer, and also provides links to the more obscure bits.