Re: Truth and Poetry
Paul S. Rhodes (sadecamus@ezl.com)
Wed, 11 Jun 1997 22:07:41 -0500
...and, therefore, Nietzsche declares poetry to be the winner in the age
old quarrel between it and philosophy, if only by default. I might be
willing to give this declaration credence, had N. been a better poet or
even if there were even a grain of truth to his megalomaniac claims about
Zarathustra. I am thinking in particular about this claim in which N. puts
himself over and above the pantheon of the literary greats: Dass ein
Goethe, ein Shakespeare nicht einen Augenblick in dieser ungeheuren
Leidenschaft und Hoehe zu atmen wissen wuerde, dass Dante, gegen
Zarathustra, bloss ein Glaeubiger ist und nicht Einer, der die Wahrheit
erst schafft, ein weltregierender Geist, ein Schicksal--, dass die Dichter
des Veda Priester sind und nicht einmal wuerdig, die Schuhsohlen eines
Zarathustra zu loesen, das ist Alles das Wenigste und giebt keinen Begriff
von der Distanz, von der azurnen Einsamkeit, in der dies Werk lebt (ECCE
HOMO, Also Sprach Zarathustra, 6). I wish I could speak on behalf of the
entire list that this estimation by N. of his own work is an example of, to
put it very mildly, utterly unfounded arrogance, but, of course, I am all
too aware of the extreme heterogeneity of "convictions" on this list to
venture such a foolish, quixotic thing. I will only coyly claim that I find
Nietzsche to be the philosopher of delusions of grandeur and that this is
my truth.
Tootles,
Paul S. Rhodes
______________________________________________________________________________
Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes
and ale?
--Sir Toby Belch
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