Friedrich Nietzsche, Die Götzen-Dämmerung [Twilight of the Idols]

David Gallagher (Independent Scholar - Europe)

Ed. by Gerhard P. Knapp, University of Utah
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.4.1: German-language Writing and Culture: Germany, 500-present.
Vol. editors: Gerhard P. Knapp (University of Utah), Jennifer Marston William (Purdue University), Herbert Rowland (Purdue University), Jill E. Twark (East Carolina University)

Domains

Philosophy (any)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1889

Places

Germany (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Treatise

Resources

The title of Götzen-Dämmerung [Twilight of the Idols, 1869], written by Nietzsche in 1888 and published in 1889, parodies Götterdämmerung [Twilight of the Gods, 1876], the last in Richard Wagner’s cycle of four operas which make up Der Ring des Nibelungen. The title is supposed to be “eine Erholung, ein Sonnenfleck” (“a relaxation, a sunspot”) but Nietzsche’s predominantly negative critique in fact is directed against many great philosophers and literary figures, they being the idols Nietzsche wishes to sound out. The subtitle, “Wie man mit dem Hammer philosophirt” (“h…

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2505 words

Citation: Gallagher, David. "Die Götzen-Dämmerung". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 21 December 2010 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=5593, accessed 21 November 2024.]

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