Nietzsche's The Gay Science: An Introduction

Description

Nietzsche's The Gay Science (1882/1887) is a deeply personal book, yet also an important work of philosophy. Nietzsche conceives it as a philosophical autobiography, a record of his own self-transformation. In beautifully composed aphorisms he communicates his central experience of overcoming pessimism and recovering the capacity to affirm joyfully the tragedy of life. On the basis of his experiments in living, Nietzsche articulates his most famous philosophical concepts and images: the death of God, the exercise of eternal recurrence, and the ideal of self-fashioning. This book explains the ancient and modern philosophical contexts that shape Nietzsche's central concern with the affirmation of life. It surveys Nietzsche's philosophy as a whole, explains the pivotal place of The Gay Science as the source of his ideal of tragic joy, and shows how he revives an ancient conception of philosophy as a way of life and the philosopher as physician.

Michael Ure is Senior Lecturer in the School of Social Sciences, Monash University, Victoria. He has published widely on Nietzsche's philosophy, including his book Nietzsche's Therapy (2008).

'Michael Ure's new book is a timely and assured contribution to Nietzsche scholarship. It makes a persuasive case for The Gay Science to be recognised as a key philosophical text, which revives an ancient conception of philosophy as a way of life and the philosopher as physician. Ure writes very well, and the whole makes for a very rich interpretation.' Duncan Large, University of East Anglia 'Ure's crisp writing is both penetrating and remarkably clear, making the book suitable for an introductory commentary (now this reviewer's top choice) as well as a worthy scholarly read for all ranges of readers of Nietzsche ... Highly recommended.' D. P. Prianti, Choice 'Michael Ure's introduction to Friedrich Nietzsche's The Gay Science is a welcome contribution to the secondary literature. He provides a clear and coherent account of this complex text and situates his interpretation within Nietzsche's larger oeuvre and philosophical project. Ure advances an original thesis - GS is Nietzsche's attempt to revive an ancient understanding of philosophy as a way of life - that will be of interest to scholars more generally, and yet he still succeeds in introducing the text to the novice reader ... the best introduction to GS currently available in the English language.' Journal of Nietzsche Studies '[Michael Ure's] readings of individual aphorisms, especially when they concern aesthetics and the influence of Schopenhauer and Wagner on Nietzsche, are often lucid and penetrating. The book will serve as a fine introductory guide to advanced undergraduates and graduate students, and is an interesting contribution in its own right to the scholarly work on The Gay Science.' Journal of the History of Philosophy 'The interpretations proposed are original and convincing, well supported, and the book overall undoubtedly provides the reader with a better, more subtle and grounded, understanding of Gay Science.' Stephanie Martens, Focault Studies