Wagner Beyond Good And Evil

John Deathridge presents a different and critical view of Richard Wagner based on recent research that does not shy away from some unpalatable truths about this most controversial of composers in the canon of Western music. Deathridge writes authoritatively on what Wagner did, said, and wrote, drawing from abundant material already well known but also from less familiar sources, including hitherto seldom discussed letters and diaries and previously unpublished musical sketches. At the same time, Deathridge suggests that a true estimation of Wagner does not lie in an all too easy condemnation of his many provocative actions and ideas. Rather, it is to be found in the questions about the modern world and our place in it posed by the best of his stage works, among them Tristan und Isolde and Der Ring des Nibelungen. Controversy about Wagner is unlikely to go away, but rather than taking the line of least resistance by regarding him blandly as a "classic" in the Western art tradition, Deathridge suggests that we need to confront the debates that have raged about him and reach beyond them, toward a fresh and engaging assessment of what he ultimately achieved.

"This collection provides us with that rarest of objects: a genuinely new book on Wagner. Virtually every page offers fresh perspectives, some of them mined from the most unlikely of sources; indeed, the sheer eclecticism of the book, its willingness to range widely and irreverently through both popular and elite culture, is one of its greatest strengths."—Roger Parker, author of Remaking the Song: Operatic Visions and Revisions from Handel to Berio "John Deathridge is one of the most authoritative, widely-regarded Wagner scholars around in any language. Few can match his command of scholarship and primary sources, and no one else knows how to put them to such clever, provocative uses. In addition, Deathridge enjoys an impressive range of critical, historical, and literary reference. The writing is consistently lively and engaging. The collection will provide a welcome change of diet for those tired of the usual Wagnerian fare. This is a welcome contribution, indeed."—Thomas Grey, author of Wagner's Musical Prose: Texts and Contexts

A new translation and edition of Nietzsche's powerful and influential critique of philosophy.

Philosophy Beyond Good and Evil is one of the most remarkable and influential books of the nineteenth century. Like Thus Spoke Zarathustra, which had immediately preceded it, Beyond Good and Evil represents Nietzsche's attempt to sum up his philosophy—but in less flamboyant and more systematic form. The nine parts of the book are designed to give the reader a comprehensive idea of Nietzsche’s thought and style: they span "The Prejudices of Philosophers," "The Free Spirit," religion, morals, scholarship, "Our Virtues," "Peoples and Fatherlands," and "What is Noble," as well as chapter of epigrams and a concluding poem. This translation by Walter Kaufmann—the first ever to be made in English by a philosopher—has become the standard one, for accuracy and fidelity to the eccentricities and grace of style of the original. Unlike other editions, in English or German, this volume offers an inclusive index of subjects and persons referred to in the book. Professor Kaufmann, the distinguished Nietzsche scholar, has also provided a running footnote commentary on the text.

"Beyond Good and Evil" is Nietzsche at his best. In the book the philosopher attempts to systematically sum up his philosophy through a collection of 296 aphorisms grouped into nine different chapters based on their common theme.

He's one of the most debated writers of the 19th century: Nietzsche and his works have been by turns vilified, lauded, and subjected to numerous contradictory interpretations, and yet he remains a figure of profound import, and his works a necessary component of a well-rounded education. This 1885 book serves as both vital introduction to and valuable summation of Nietzsche's philosophy as a whole. Here, broken down into bite-size segments are the great thinker's outlook on philosophical bias, religion, morality, virtue, nationalism, free-spiritedness, scholarship, gender relations, and other weighty topics. German psychologist and philosopher FRIEDRICH WILHELM NIETZSCHE (1844-1900) was appointed special professor of classical philology at the University of Basel at the precocious age of 24, but soon found himself dissatisfied with academic life and created an alternative intellectual society for himself among friends including composer Richard Wagner, historian Jakob Burckhardt, and theologian Franz Overbeck. Among his philosophical works are Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Beyond Good and Evil, and Ecce Homo. ______________________________________ ALSO FROM COSIMO Nietzsche's The Use and Abuse of History, Thus Spake Zarathustra, and The Anti-Christ

Contains a concise . . . account of Wagner's life by John Deathridge and . . . a treatment of Wagner's music, aesthetics, and individual operas and music dramas by Carl Dahlhaus which is a tour de force. --Joseph Kerman, New York Review of Books

Beyond Good and Evil is an important philosophical writing by Friedrich Nietzsche, in which he attempts to deliver his philosophy to be interpreted by the masses who read his work. The goal of this work is to give the reader a comprehensive view of Friedrich Nietzsche's thought and style. This work should not be passed up by anybody who either studies or is interested in writings and works of philosophy.

DIVThe great 19th-century philosopher refines his previously expressed ideal of the superman in one of his most important works, a fascinating examination of human values and morality. Publisher's Note. /div

Beyond Good and Evil contains Nietzsche's mature philosophy of the free spirit. Although it is one of his most widely read texts, it is a notoriously difficult piece of philosophical writing. The authors demonstrate in clear and precise terms why it is to be regarded as Nietzsche's philosophical masterpiece and the work of a revolutionary genius. This Reader's Guide is the ideal companion to study, offering guidance on: - Philosophical and historical context - Key themes - Reading the text - Further reading