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Book cover of The Birth of Tragedy

The Birth of Tragedy

Out of the Spirit of Music

Friedrich Nietzsche

13
Coup de coeur
Coup de coeur (Philosophy), by Lochy
If youre looking for somewhere to start with Nietzsche, this is the perfect place to dive in. The Birth of Tragedy is his first work and it exploded upon publication. This seminal approach to Hellenism outraged contemporary classicists, infusing new energy into a stagnant discipline. Nietzsche reexamines the aesthetics of ancient Greek tragedy to shatter tradition, from which a darker, more chaotic energy surges. So here lies the origin of the famous Apollisian/ Dionysian dichotomy, the two inverse metaphysical forces that drive art, culture, and existence itself. This is a strong dose of Nietzschean vitality, and you might get hooked.

Nietzsche's first published book, The Birth of Tragedy is a compelling argument for the necessity of art in life

This landmark work of criticism is fuelled by Nietzsche's enthusiasms for Greek tragedy, the philosophy of Schopenhauer and the music of Wagner, to whom the book was dedicated. Nietzsche outlined a distinction between two central forces in art: the Apolline, representing beauty and order, and the Dionysiac, a primal or ecstatic reaction to the sublime. He believed the combination of these states produced the highest forms of music and tragic drama, which not only reveal the truth about suffering in life, but also provide a consolation for it. Impassioned and exhilarating in its conviction, The Birth of Tragedy has become a key text in European culture.

Translated by Shaun Whiteside
Edited by Michael Tanner

Translated by Shaun Whiteside
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Binding: Paperback
Publication date: 27 May 1993
Dimensions: 197 x 129 x 8 mm
ISBN: 9780140433395