The book is a comprehensive work to further reading of the works of Friedrich Nietzsche. It includes all the major works of Nietzsche and provides critical commentary on those works and life of Nietzsche. It also provides an introduction to all the major philosophical ideas of Nietzsche.
THE BIRTH OF TRAGEDY
In Nietzsche's opinion, the Greek tragedy is an art for that goes beyond the pessimism and nihilism of this world. By looking at the suffering and by affirming it, they actually their existence. They knew they are beyond the pettiness of the world and that is why Greek tragedies celebrated ecstasy and terror at the same time. He regards Greek tragedy as the highest art form as the mixture of Apollonian and Dionysian are to be found in them at the same time. Before this art for people idealized a plastic art form. After the age of Sophocles and Aeschylus, the tragedy form almost died. According to tho Nietzsche, it was the influence of writers like Euripides and Socrates as Euripides did not use chorus very often and Socrates emphasized only on reason.
THE GAY SCIENCE
This work was written in the middle period of Nietzsche's career in which the works extolled skepticism, science and intellectuality to gain mental freedom. In this book, he first talked about his idea of eternal recurrence. He acclaims that God is dead. After the death of Lord, Buddha people managed to show his frightening shadow in the cave. Likewise, in the present time also, people will show use the shadow of God but we must overcome it. This book has a parable in which a crazy man is looking for God and as he does not find him. He says that the of the earth have killed God.
THUS SPOKE ZARATHUSTRA
The book contains fictitious speeches of Zarathustra and his travels. The book is written in an experimental style. This Zarathustra is the namesake of the Zarathustra we know.
All human want to achieve will to power. They should overcome themselves. It is not living for pleasure, procreation or happiness but it is beyond these things and it lies in the struggle of human being against his environment and his reason for staying in this environment. He also talked about eternal recurrence elaborately in this work.
The events that we encounter at present will happen again in life and we must embrace horrors and pleasures equally. We must become overman which is a self-mastered human being. Only an overman can be happy and elated truly as he has zero regrets and he loves life. He has a Dionysian spirit and ultimate courage.
BEYOND GOOD AND EVIL
In this work, Nietzsche criticizes all the past philosophers whose objective was to find the truth. Nietzsche argues that finding the untruth is more important before finding the truth. True philosophers must be free from prejudices who are not lawgivers or commanders. In ancient times the acts used to be judged by their consequences, this was perfect in his opinion. But lately, the actions of people are being judged by their very origins which is provisional and we must eliminate this practice. According to him, the most refined and moral culture is the culture of France. He despises German culture and British culture his more brutal and gloomy to him.
