Thus Spoke Zarathustra

Questions About Thus Spoke Zarathustra

by Friedrich Nietzsche

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Answered Questions (15)

Why should I read this book?

Simo have you ever read the bible or the Quran ?
if yes ! I think this way cooler than bouth of them.
if not! this is the best thing Nietzsche had ever writt…尘辞谤别have you ever read the bible or the Quran ?
if yes ! I think this way cooler than bouth of them.
if not! this is the best thing Nietzsche had ever written. (less)

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Is it a novel or a work of non-fiction? I have seen evidence on both accounts from various sources so can someone clarify?

Jester It is a book of ideas that does not fit neatly into the categories of novel or non-fiction. As a philosophical work, it is not the traditional essay. …尘辞谤别It is a book of ideas that does not fit neatly into the categories of novel or non-fiction. As a philosophical work, it is not the traditional essay. It is full of symbolism, so subsequent readings are beneficial, though the first time is special. Nietzsche does not want to persuade anyone into any system of belief. This work is an action, something to be witnessed. He wants his work of art to dance. (less)

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Can I start reading Thus Spoke Zarathustra as my first Nietzsche Book or would someone recommend rather something else?

Mohamed Wouldn't recommend that at all. A good knowledge of the life of Nietzche and his work is necessary to decipher or at least understand the allegories a…尘辞谤别Wouldn't recommend that at all. A good knowledge of the life of Nietzche and his work is necessary to decipher or at least understand the allegories and symbolism used in this book.
I would say reading Nietzche and about this book is a must before even thinking about buying it.(less)

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I'm currently reading this. The book started off interesting enough, but I'm almost halfway in and it's still simmering. If I don't enjoy this, should I still bother with his other works?

Tejas Khanna One of the reasons why a lot of new readers are put-off by this book is it's esoteric nature of the prose in this one. Also, if you're reading a trans…尘辞谤别One of the reasons why a lot of new readers are put-off by this book is it's esoteric nature of the prose in this one. Also, if you're reading a translation which translates german into old english, you're bound to get bored pretty quickly. As far your question goes, there are certain chapters where Nietzsche's prose turns into something of a teenage rant, and that goes on for multiple pages! But fret not! The last two parts were my favourite to be honest and I found Part II to be rather dull and uneventful! As far as reading some of his other works goes, I don't think you can compart TSZ to his other works as this is his most long-winded work and perhaps the only one where he's going all out with his poetry and long proses! So judging his works based solely on TSZ and comparing them to his other works is a bad idea. That being said, if you can succesfully decipher the meanings of the parables and metaphors form this back, which happen to be the core of Nietzsche's philosphy and you find it too dull or just plain wrong, then I'd surely not recommend reading any of his other works.

For instance, the whole "God is dead" idea finds utterances in multiple works of Nietzsche and the same goes on with his 'Eternal Recurrence' idea. The only difference being- there he expands on these ideas in a fashion which is altoghether different from the satire writen in a biblical prose style that he adopts in this one, with Zarathustra acting as a conduit of his own ideas.

As a concluding note, TSZ is like a TV show, which starts off really interesting, then gets a tad boring with season 2 and 3 and then just when it's audience was about to give up on that show, it astonishes them with the new plot twists and character arcs with the upcoming seasons 4 and 5!
I hope you enjoy the remainder of the book should you choose to finish it after reading this long-winded answer :P (less)

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Which English translation should I read and why?

Hippie Shawn The Walter Kaufmann translation is generally considered as being the go to translation. It has been noted for being faithful to Nietzsche’s writing an…尘辞谤别The Walter Kaufmann translation is generally considered as being the go to translation. It has been noted for being faithful to Nietzsche’s writing and for overall staying true to the text by best representing the nuances and the language. When I wanted to buy this book, I spoke to several philosophy teachers at my college that were knowledgeable about Nietzsche and they said that the Kaufmann translation is the best. If you want accuracy, then Kaufmann is the way to go. (less)

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