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(Or rather first impressions thereof, I only just started it)
-It is surprisingly easy to read. Neither complex nor tedious. I could theoretically have read it in a day. Somehow I was under the impression Nietzsche was going to be a step below James Joyce in difficulty. It just has a reputation for being philosophical and complex, and the title sounds sophisticated. But it's rather simple, not even too old-fashioned, and certainly not overly flowery.
-Reading this in german, because it was written in German, and stuff gets lost in translation (for example Geist is a different concept than the translation of Ghost...)
And of course because I conveniently speak German, as much as I'd like too I don't have the endurance to read french or latin things in the original.
-It is rather nice German. The language serves the narrative perfectly. I have never read German which is beautiful, except a few passages in The Prodigy. But it does have exactly the right mix of gravity, sobriety, functionality and lightness for this text.
-The other thing I expected to be a bit of a problem: this whole Übermensch thing sounds like Naziism, and I expected to find a lot of ideas which Nazis later agreed with. Again, surprised. As far as I have read what Nietzsche means with Übermensch is enlightened being, one that is spiritually beyond human. Like Buddha or Jesus, allthough I doubt he likes Jesus much. Not even
hints of racism or fascism. A general cynism and contempt for people, however, and the belief that the unenlightened masses are inferior, and enmity towards the state, among other institutions (That state would have been the German Empire then I suppose).
-And this book has a negative reputation for the nihilism. I am not very shocked by the whole "god is dead" thing, because I conveniently already agreed with that, I am made a bit more uncomfortable by the proposition that the state is the new god and we are wrong to follow it. Really up until then I haven't found this book very complicated because what it says was already self-evident in the 21st century, but with embellishments. Maybe I ought to go read something I disagree with instead, then I wouldn't feel so in the right either, getting awfully convinced of my intelligence again.
-I was under the impression that Nietsche had a reputation for being immoral. Should have thought about that assumption a bit further: nihilism is rather amoral. And I did not expect the ideas of enlightenment, love for humanity, creation.
-It is surprisingly easy to read. Neither complex nor tedious. I could theoretically have read it in a day. Somehow I was under the impression Nietzsche was going to be a step below James Joyce in difficulty. It just has a reputation for being philosophical and complex, and the title sounds sophisticated. But it's rather simple, not even too old-fashioned, and certainly not overly flowery.
-Reading this in german, because it was written in German, and stuff gets lost in translation (for example Geist is a different concept than the translation of Ghost...)
And of course because I conveniently speak German, as much as I'd like too I don't have the endurance to read french or latin things in the original.
-It is rather nice German. The language serves the narrative perfectly. I have never read German which is beautiful, except a few passages in The Prodigy. But it does have exactly the right mix of gravity, sobriety, functionality and lightness for this text.
-The other thing I expected to be a bit of a problem: this whole Übermensch thing sounds like Naziism, and I expected to find a lot of ideas which Nazis later agreed with. Again, surprised. As far as I have read what Nietzsche means with Übermensch is enlightened being, one that is spiritually beyond human. Like Buddha or Jesus, allthough I doubt he likes Jesus much. Not even
hints of racism or fascism. A general cynism and contempt for people, however, and the belief that the unenlightened masses are inferior, and enmity towards the state, among other institutions (That state would have been the German Empire then I suppose).
-And this book has a negative reputation for the nihilism. I am not very shocked by the whole "god is dead" thing, because I conveniently already agreed with that, I am made a bit more uncomfortable by the proposition that the state is the new god and we are wrong to follow it. Really up until then I haven't found this book very complicated because what it says was already self-evident in the 21st century, but with embellishments. Maybe I ought to go read something I disagree with instead, then I wouldn't feel so in the right either, getting awfully convinced of my intelligence again.
-I was under the impression that Nietsche had a reputation for being immoral. Should have thought about that assumption a bit further: nihilism is rather amoral. And I did not expect the ideas of enlightenment, love for humanity, creation.
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