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book_busy's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.25
It flags towards the end and I feel the concepts cease to build but I mainly read this to get a better understanding of the Dionysian and the Apollonian for my studies so it serves its purpose. Might reread if I feel that I need this in later life as it is a relatively quick scan with some good points about key classical tragedy.
ed_moore's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
2.25
“The best of all things is something entirely out of your grasp: not to be born, not to be, to be nothing. But the second best thing for you - is to die soon”
‘The Birth of Tragedy’ was one difficult read. It is Nietzsche’s philosophical explanation of the founding of Greek Tragedy, its demise and then its rebirth among his contemporary German Tragedians. Nietzsche explores the realms of the Apolline and the Dionysiac and how they are connected in art and music, working in tandem to define tragedy as a genre. In places it was long and confusing, but generally interesting despite taking an awful lot of mental power to absorb and attempt to understand, hence my rating being on the lower side. It also somehow despite looking a lot at the artistic relationships that make up tragedy did not seem to give a definitive suggestion or theory on the birth of tragedy, contrary to the title itself. Nietzsche offered many a clever suggestion, perhaps overemphasised the idea of a rebirth among the German Tragedians, but it was ultimately a Herculean effort to read a not-so-large book.
yoshitreats's review against another edition
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
alexryan3's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
The parts that I understood were excellent. I found the contrast between the Apollonian and Dionysian aspects of human life the most interesting and felt that’s the part that the average reader can most relate to. I also found his further tangents of criticism of Socrates and his call for the German spirit to be revitalized to be fascinating, although the latter didn’t really feel like it had much to do with the other contents of the book. My first book I’ve read written by Nietzsche and I’m interested in reading more
kaiare's review against another edition
3.0
Incredibly tough read, consumed in 5 page bursts; any more and I would get bored or incapable of properly understanding. Some interesting thoughts and concepts, but hidden under a plethora of intellect, philosophical and Greek history. I would read Nietzsche again.
berilsogut's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
4.75
Apollonian characteristics, Dionysian tendencies
chrisrohlev1234's review against another edition
4.0
This is now the second work of Nietzsche that I've read after, The Antichrist. Ironically this is also the second work that I had no idea what was happening most of the time I was reading. Chronologically this is one of his first works. You can see that his ideas are less concrete and he is scratching the surface of his deeper philosophical arguments. That being said, Nietzsche makes some profound arguments that I won't explain correctly but will give my best shot.
1. There exists two "sides" of human nature- Nietzsche categorizes human nature into two archetypes; the Apollian and Dionysian. The Dionysian is your stereotypical college frat bro. Obsessed with the pleasures of life; alcohol, sex and freedom. The Apollian is his converse; the nerd who spends his whole day in the library studying and reflecting. Nietzsche argues that these two sides compose human nature. His argument is oxymoronic, humans must have both these sides but cannot become lost in them. If you spend too much time being Apollian then you never truly fulfill life to its pleasures and therefore neglect the art of life. If you become a Dionysian, you end up as the 40yr old corporate banker who has to remind everyone he played varsity football in high-school. So what Nietzsche is saying is that you have to combine these two to find true fulfillment in life.
2. Art/Tragedy will guide society- I can't properly explain this theory but in short Nietzsche argues that you can trace society back to the development of the Greek tragedy. It's a very interesting concept to think about. The human race has a trajectory and in a way this is the negation of free-will that Nietzsche argues. What I mean by this is that in 50 years the human race will be somewhere. Where this somewhere is no-one really knows but we can at least try to forecast it. What's interesting is that there are people and more specifically ideas that can change the path of humanity and culture. Nietzsche argues that this is the case for the Greek tragedy. The tragedy, the most early art form, led us from a society of barbarianism to self-awareness and a "will" which is credited to the Philosopher Schopenhauer. So, in short, a continuation of original art will transcend us from our current state.
3. Aristotle was a detriment to the human race- I really like Nietzsche because he is not at all a conformist. He pretty much goes against every agreed upon topic and philosophy. One of his most controversial ideas was the negation of all of Socrates ideas. Socrates argued that reason and knowledge will transcend/advance our race. Nietzsche argues this saying that, art in its purest for, the tragedy, is the only method able to transcend us to the next level of humanity.
I'm a little weary to type all of this because I know that any legitmate philosophy student will tell me I read this completely wrong. Anyway, I'm excited to start reading the heavier works of Nietzsche like Beyond Good and Evil and Ecce Homo. Hopefully after I finish these I'll be able to understand him better. I'll leave with his most moving quote which I am assuming is the basis of Sartre's book Nausea.
"Now no comfort avails us any more; longing transcends a world after death, even the gods; existence is negated along with its glittering reflection in the gods or in an immortal beyond. Conscious of the truth he has once seen, man now sees everywhere only the horror or absurdity of existence; now he understands what is symbolic in Ophelia's fate; now he understands the wisdom of the sylvan god, Silenus: he is nauseated."
1. There exists two "sides" of human nature- Nietzsche categorizes human nature into two archetypes; the Apollian and Dionysian. The Dionysian is your stereotypical college frat bro. Obsessed with the pleasures of life; alcohol, sex and freedom. The Apollian is his converse; the nerd who spends his whole day in the library studying and reflecting. Nietzsche argues that these two sides compose human nature. His argument is oxymoronic, humans must have both these sides but cannot become lost in them. If you spend too much time being Apollian then you never truly fulfill life to its pleasures and therefore neglect the art of life. If you become a Dionysian, you end up as the 40yr old corporate banker who has to remind everyone he played varsity football in high-school. So what Nietzsche is saying is that you have to combine these two to find true fulfillment in life.
2. Art/Tragedy will guide society- I can't properly explain this theory but in short Nietzsche argues that you can trace society back to the development of the Greek tragedy. It's a very interesting concept to think about. The human race has a trajectory and in a way this is the negation of free-will that Nietzsche argues. What I mean by this is that in 50 years the human race will be somewhere. Where this somewhere is no-one really knows but we can at least try to forecast it. What's interesting is that there are people and more specifically ideas that can change the path of humanity and culture. Nietzsche argues that this is the case for the Greek tragedy. The tragedy, the most early art form, led us from a society of barbarianism to self-awareness and a "will" which is credited to the Philosopher Schopenhauer. So, in short, a continuation of original art will transcend us from our current state.
3. Aristotle was a detriment to the human race- I really like Nietzsche because he is not at all a conformist. He pretty much goes against every agreed upon topic and philosophy. One of his most controversial ideas was the negation of all of Socrates ideas. Socrates argued that reason and knowledge will transcend/advance our race. Nietzsche argues this saying that, art in its purest for, the tragedy, is the only method able to transcend us to the next level of humanity.
I'm a little weary to type all of this because I know that any legitmate philosophy student will tell me I read this completely wrong. Anyway, I'm excited to start reading the heavier works of Nietzsche like Beyond Good and Evil and Ecce Homo. Hopefully after I finish these I'll be able to understand him better. I'll leave with his most moving quote which I am assuming is the basis of Sartre's book Nausea.
"Now no comfort avails us any more; longing transcends a world after death, even the gods; existence is negated along with its glittering reflection in the gods or in an immortal beyond. Conscious of the truth he has once seen, man now sees everywhere only the horror or absurdity of existence; now he understands what is symbolic in Ophelia's fate; now he understands the wisdom of the sylvan god, Silenus: he is nauseated."