Literary Form and Midlife Crisis in Thus Spoke Zarathustra
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24310/EstudiosNIETen.vi16.10816Keywords:
fictional form, music, Bildungsroman, midlifeAbstract
The relative disinterest in Thus Spoke Zarathustra among philosophical scholars of Nietzsche reflects a failure to recognize what the literary form contributes to its philosophical message. The choice of extended fictional form for Zarathustra enables Nietzsche to explore his ideas about the possibilities of living a meaningful life in the contemporary Western world, where nihilism in the wake of the death of God is beginning to dawn. Thus
Spoke Zarathustra also illuminates aspects of Nietzsche’s own understanding of his philosophical project, a conception that contrasts with the dominant contemporary orientation. I draw out some of these aspects by focusing on four unusual features of Zarathustra: 1) its cartoon-like approach to characters and action; 2) its disguised first-person presentation and the resulting positioning of the reader; 3) its «musical» features; and 4) its oddity as a Bildungsroman of middle life.
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