Guest Speaker: Maudemarie Clark (University of California, Riverside)

Title: 'Does Nietzsche Overcome The Birth of Tragedy's Nihilistic View of Tragedy in His Later Work?'

Abstract: Our topic is the relationship between the account of tragedy we find in Nietzsche’s first book and his later view of that artistic genre. Aaron Ridley has argued powerfully that Nietzsche’s later view does not overcome the problems that afflict his earlier account. We agree completely with Ridley and we [Clark] have previously argued that Nietzsche’s original account of tragedy is a failure, that it fails to do what he was attempting to do. But we will argue contra Ridley that Nietzsche does overcome his early (and nihilistic) view of tragedy in his later work. The plan is to explain what we take to be the aim of The Birth of Tragedy and why we take it to be a failure. We will then look at Ridley’s argument for reading Nietzsche’s later view of tragedy in Twilight of the Idols as exhibiting the same failure, and explain our reasons for rejecting that account. These reasons will then lead us, indeed force us, to say something about Nietzsche’s later view of art more generally. 

 The session will be held online.