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University of Southampton Faculty of Arts & Humanities Department of Philosophy Nietzsche on Art and Affirmation of Life: a study of the relationship between art and life- affirmation through Nietzsche’s writings. by Mark Angelo Murelli Thesis for the degree of Master of Philosophy (MPhil) April 2019 1 University of Southampton Abstract Faculty of Arts & Humanities Philosophy Thesis for the degree of Master of Philosophy (MPhil) Nietzsche on Art and Affirmation of Life: a study of the relationship between art and life- affirmation through Nietzsche’s writings. by Mark Angelo Murelli The relationship between life-affirmation and art in Nietzsche’s writing is much discussed in the secondary literature on Nietzsche. One of the positions is that of Bernard Reginster, which is as follows: in Nietzsche’s early work The Birth of Tragedy, falsification is a central characteristic of art. The affirmation of life based on such art, in The Birth of Tragedy, is predicated on falsification. Nietzsche subsequently moves away from life-affirmation based on falsification, to the idea that there must be affirmation of life as it is. This thesis seeks to show, contra Reginster, that falsification is involved in the relationship between life- affirmation and art throughout Nietzsche’s writings. This thesis counters Reginster’s narrative by moving through Nietzsche’s writings to show that falsification, in one form or another, has an ongoing presence in his writing on life- affirmation and art. The thesis begins with the illusory art upon which life-affirmation is based in The Birth of Tragedy. It then moves to The Gay Science, and the forms of falsification woven into the relationship between life-affirmation and art therein. The thesis subsequently turns to Nietzsche’s writings after The Gay Science. It looks at both Nietzsche’s published and unpublished writing on the relationship between life-affirmation and art. In so doing, the thesis seeks to show that the relationship involves falsification even at the very last in Nietzsche’s writing. There is then exploration of the various statuses Nietzsche assigns to truth: this casts doubt on the safe and steady status Reginster claims for truth in Nietzsche’s late work. The conclusion of this thesis is that falsification is involved in the relationship between life- affirmation and art throughout Nietzsche’s writing. This is not to deny that there are, as Reginster suggests, instances of the relationship devoid of falsification in Nietzsche’s late writings. In showing examples of falsification in the relationship throughout Nietzsche’s productive life, however, the thesis offers a corrective to the understanding of a significant aspect of Nietzsche’s thought. 2 Contents Declaration of Authorship ………………………………………….……....4 Acknowledgements …………………………………………………………5 Abbreviations used ………………………………………………………….6 Introduction ………………………………………………………………....7 Part I: The Birth of Tragedy (1872) 1. Apollonian Art & Life-Affirmation……………………………………….27 2. Tragic Art & Life-Affirmation…………………………………………….38 Part II: The Gay Science (1882) 3. ‘Giving style’ to one’s character………………………………………...51 4. Making the things of life beautiful……………………………………….69 5. Eternal Recurrence………………………………………………………..77 Part III: Later Writings (1883-1888) 6. Case studies from the unpublished notes……………………………….86 7. Published works……………………………………………………………94 Part IV: Nietzsche on the value of truth 8. The various statuses of truth in Nietzsche’s writing………………...109 Conclusion …………………………………………………………....…..124 Bibliography ……………………………………………………………..127 3 Research Thesis: Declaration of Authorship Print name: Mark Angelo Murelli Title of thesis: Nietzsche on Art and Affirmation of Life: a study of the relationship between art and life- affirmation through Nietzsche’s writings. I declare that this thesis and the work presented in it is my own and has been generated by me as the result of my own original research. I confirm that: 1. This work was done wholly or mainly while in candidature for a research degree at this University; 2. Where any part of this thesis has previously been submitted for a degree or any other qualification at this University or any other institution, this has been clearly stated; 3. Where I have consulted the published work of others, this is always clearly attributed; 4. Where I have quoted from the work of others, the source is always given. With the exception of such quotations, this thesis is entirely my own work 5. I have acknowledged all main sources of help; 6. Where the thesis is based on work done by myself jointly with others, I have made clear exactly what was done by others and what I have contributed myself; 7. Either none of this work has been published before submission, or parts of this work have been published as: [please list references below]. Signature: Date: 4 Acknowledgements First of all, I would like to thank my supervisor Chris Janaway for all his support – support which even bled into one or two of his summers. Thanks also go to Sandro, my dad and friend, for reading portions of my thesis and providing many Saturday lunches. I am grateful to my friend Ryan Harvey, who has read and re-read my work with care, and who continues to provide great philosophical conversation. Thanks to Kate, my older – but as I always remind her, shorter – sister, for her moral support. Lastly, thank you to my wife Anne-Marie. You have tolerated losing half of every weekend (occasionally more) with me to this project – I hope you don’t end up yearning for those days! Thank you for your love and care, your support, and your philosophical lightness. 5 Abbreviations The following abbreviations are used for the titles of writings by Nietzsche: AC The Antichrist BGE Beyond Good and Evil BT The Birth of Tragedy D Daybreak EH Ecce Homo GM On the Genealogy of Morality GS The Gay Science HH Human-All-Too-Human PTAG Philosophy in the Tragic Age of the Greeks TI Twilight of the Idols UM Untimely Meditations WP The Will to Power For writing by Schopenhauer, the following abbreviation is used: WWR, I and II The World as Will and Representation, volumes 1 and 2 Full bibliographical information for the above writings is provided in the Bibliography. 6 Introduction Life-affirmation is important in Nietzsche’s work and in Nietzsche’s life; and in some ways, there is no distance between Nietzsche’s life and his work. Art, for Nietzsche, is a significant force in generating affirmation of life. The relationship between life-affirmation and art in Nietzsche’s writing is much discussed in the secondary literature on Nietzsche. One of the positions is that of Bernard Reginster, which is as follows: in Nietzsche’s early work, falsification is a central characteristic of art. The affirmation of life based on such art, in Nietzsche’s early work, is predicated on falsification. Nietzsche subsequently moves away from life-affirmation based on falsification, to the idea that there must be affirmation of life as it is. 1 In this thesis, I agree with the claims about Nietzsche’s early work – I dispute, however, the claim that Nietzsche subsequently moves away from life-affirmation based on falsification. This thesis seeks to show, contra Reginster, that falsification is involved in the relationship between life-affirmation and art throughout Nietzsche’s writings. This is not to deny instances of the relationship devoid of falsification in Nietzsche’s later writing. It is important, however, to make the counter-argument to Reginster’s narrative as it corrects the understanding of an important element in Nietzsche’s thought. Before elaborating on Reginster’s narrative and the counter-argument of this thesis, there will be a survey of other positions on the relationship between art and life in Nietzsche’s writing. This will give some sense of the wider context. This thesis argues a continuity, namely in the involvement of falsification in the relationship between life-affirmation and art throughout Nietzsche’s writings. The survey will therefore look at suggestions, in the secondary literature, of continuity or discontinuity through Nietzsche’s writings. Discontinuities suggested in the secondary literature In the secondary literature on Nietzsche, there are suggestions of discontinuity between Nietzsche’s early and later writings in terms of the relationship between life and art. One such suggestion pertains to Nietzsche’s stance towards Richard Wagner. Ridley comments that in the The Birth of Tragedy, Nietzsche concentrated his hopes for the regeneration of 1 Maudemarie Clark, in her seminal work Nietzsche on Truth and Philosophy (1990), also thinks that Nietzsche moves away from falsification after his early work. 7 contemporary culture in Wagner, whereas the ‘later Nietzsche no longer pinned hopes of any sort to Wagner, let alone such grandiose ones.’ (Ridley 2007: 12) 2 This suggestion seems reasonable, and does not deny that Wagner influenced Nietzsche for the rest of the latter’s life. 3 Another suggestion of discontinuity, in the Nietzschean secondary literature, relates to the metaphysics in The Birth of Tragedy. In the book, Nietzsche describes a primal artist of the world which creates the world as art.