
Thus Spake Zarathustra: A Book for All and None
'Thus Spake Zarathustra: A Book for All and None' Summary
The book chronicles the fictitious travels and speeches of Zarathustra. Zarathustra's namesake was the founder of Zoroastrianism, usually known in English as Zoroaster (Avestan: 𐬰𐬀𐬭𐬀𐬚𐬎𐬱𐬙𐬭𐬀, Zaraθuštra). Nietzsche is clearly portraying a "new" or "different" Zarathustra, one who turns traditional morality on its head. He goes on to characterize "what the name of Zarathustra means in my mouth, the mouth of the first immoralist:"
For what constitutes the tremendous historical uniqueness of that Persian is just the opposite of this. Zarathustra was the first to consider the fight of good and evil the very wheel in the machinery of things: the transposition of morality into the metaphysical realm, as a force, cause, and end in itself, is his work.… Zarathustra created this most calamitous error, morality; consequently, he must also be the first to recognize it.… His doctrine, and his alone, posits truthfulness as the highest virtue; this means the opposite of the cowardice of the "idealist” who flees from reality.… Am I understood?—The self-overcoming of morality, out of truthfulness; the self-overcoming of the moralist, into his opposite—into me—that is what the name of Zarathustra means in my mouth.
— Ecce Homo, "Why I Am a Destiny" §3, translated by Walter Kaufmann
Zarathustra has a simple characterisation and plot, narrated sporadically throughout the text. It possesses a unique experimental style, one that is, for instance, evident in newly invented "dithyrambs" narrated or sung by Zarathustra. Likewise, the separate Dionysian-Dithyrambs was written in autumn 1888, and printed with the full volume in 1892, as the corollaries of Zarathustra's "abundance."
Some speculate that Nietzsche intended to write about final acts of creation and destruction brought on by Zarathustra. However, the book lacks a finale to match such description; its actual ending focuses more on Zarathustra recognizing that his legacy is beginning to perpetuate, and consequently choosing to leave the higher men to their own devices in carrying his legacy forth.
Zarathustra also contains the famous dictum "God is dead," which had appeared earlier in The Gay Science.
The book embodies a number of innovative poetical and rhetorical methods of expression. It serves as a parallel and supplement to the various philosophical ideas present in Nietzsche's body of work. He has, however, said that "among my writings my Zarathustra stands to my mind by itself." Emphasizing its centrality and its status as his magnum opus, Nietzsche has stated that:
With [Thus Spoke Zarathustra] I have given mankind the greatest present that has ever been made to it so far. This book, with a voice bridging centuries, is not only the highest book there is, the book that is truly characterized by the air of the heights—the whole fact of man lies beneath it at a tremendous distance—it is also the deepest, born out of the innermost wealth of truth, an inexhaustible well to which no pail descends without coming up again filled with gold and goodness.
— Ecce Homo, "Preface" §4, translated by W. Kaufmann
Since many of the book's ideas are also present in his other works, Zarathustra is seen to have served as a precursor to his later philosophical thought. With the book, Nietzsche embraced a distinct aesthetic assiduity. He later reformulated many of his ideas in Beyond Good and Evil and various other writings that he composed thereafter. He continued to emphasize his philosophical concerns; generally, his intention was to show an alternative to repressive moral codes and to avert "nihilism" in all of its varied forms. Other aspects of Thus Spoke Zarathustra relate to Nietzsche's proposed "Transvaluation of All Values". This incomplete project began with The Antichrist.
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
GermanPublished In
1883Authors

Friedrich Nietzsche
Germany
Nietzsche's writing spans philosophical polemics, poetry, cultural criticism, and fiction while displaying a fondness for aphorism and irony. Prominent elements of his philosophy include his radical c...
Books by Friedrich NietzscheDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
Related books

The Parables by Lyman Abbott
The Parables of Jesus Christ, retold and interpreted for the modern reader. Lyman Abbott's The Parables is a collection of the parables of Jesus Chri...

The Master's Indwelling by Andrew Murray
In all the writings of the late nineteenth century minister and writer Andrew Murray, we see his passion for reality in the lives of Christian believe...

Rainbow and the Rose by E. Nesbit
'Rainbow and the Rose' is a collection of poems written in the distinctive, whimsical style of Edith Nesbit, the acclaimed author of beloved children'...

Mary Marston by George MacDonald
It is a story of a woman who loves a man, and teaches him to change. Not out of his love for her, but simply because it was the right thing to do.

Summa Theologica - 11 Pars Secunda Secundae, Treatise on the Cardinal Virtues: Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, Temperance by Saint Thomas Aquinas
This selection from Saint Thomas Aquinas's *Summa Theologica* delves into the four cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. Aqu...

Bible (ASV) NT 09: Galatians by American Standard Version
The Epistle to the Galatians is a book of the New Testament. It is a letter from Paul of Tarsus to a number of early Christian communities in the Roma...

Bible (WEB) NT 10: Ephesians by World English Bible
Paul writes to the church at Ephesus, beginning with a praise to God for the forgiveness of their sins and for choosing them in His grace. Paul prays...

Regula Sancti Benedicti by Saint Benedict of Nursia
The Rule of Saint Benedict, also known as Regula Benedicti, is a comprehensive guide for monastic life written by Saint Benedict of Nursia in the 6th...

Home of the Echoes by Frank W. Boreham
This collection of essays by Frank W. Boreham explores a variety of themes, primarily through a lens of Christian faith and spiritual reflection. Bore...

Summa Contra Gentiles, First Book (On God) by Saint Thomas Aquinas
The Summa Contra Gentiles is a theological treatise written by Thomas Aquinas between 1259 and 1265. It is divided into four books, the first of which...
Reviews for Thus Spake Zarathustra: A Book for All and None
No reviews posted or approved, yet...