Abstract

The following is an analysis of the diversity in Nietzsche interpretation. I will focus on both Nietzsche's text and its reception, and will attempt to establish that both sides are responsible for the many configurations at hand. ;The first chapter is an introductory account of some of the difficulties in Nietzsche interpretation. While focusing on problems such as concepts, style and structure in the Nietzsche text, the analysis exposes the large variety of Nietzsche interpretation itself; while moving away from the difficulty of the text, it attempts to demonstrate that the different interpretations, rather than referring to Nietzsche and his writing, are first and foremost indicative of the methodological stance of the interpreters themselves. ;The following chapter proposes a classification of critics according to the degree in which Nietzsche is thought to transcend the traditional boundaries of the metaphysical tradition. The second part of this chapter raises the question of a Nietzschean inconsistency in the Nietzsche text itself on the question of metaphysics. ;The third chapter deals with the question of the Dionysian in both Nietzsche and others, and examines the extent to which this notion has changed in Nietzsche. ;The final three chapters are examples of Nietzsche interpretation. The first and second part of this final section focus on literary appropriations of Nietzsche. While problematizing the more traditional notions and assumptions that underlie the exercise of influence, I intend to show in these chapters how appropriation of a Nietzschean premise takes place in a work of literature. The first chapter of the second part focuses on Andre Gide and Hermann Hesse, authors whose literary production takes place under the imperative of a modernist aesthetic. The second deals with Milan Kundera, often referred to as a postmodern writer and thinker. ;The final chapter focuses on Jacques Derrida, and his intricate and rather playful style of Nietzsche interpretation. By moving away from a traditional type of philosophical investigation, Derrida's analysis evolves along the fine line that separates philosophy from fiction, seriousness from play, or truth from artistic creation