Page:Nietzsche the thinker.djvu/502

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486
NOTES

l As to the real Wagner, see Henri Lichtenberger's two books, Wagner (in the series, "Les Maîtres de la Musique") , and Richard Wagner, Poète et Penseur. Rare sympathy and understanding for both Nietzsche and Wagner mark this author's writings. See also Edouard Schure's article in the Revue des deux mondes, August 15, 1895.

m In a late letter to Strindberg he even speaks—confusedly, we must think—of illness as leading to a cessation of the relations with Wagner (see North American Review, August, 1913, p. 195).

CHAPTER IX

a See the warning addressed to young readers, Werke (pocket ed.), Ill, 442, § 19.

b Cf. Mixed Opinions etc., § 211; also Lou Andreas-Salomé's remarks on the general character of this period, op. cit., p. 90.

c August Horneffer (Nietzsche als Moralist und Schriftsteller, p. 22) thinks that moral criticism (moralische Bedenken) was really Nietzsche's starting point, citing Nietzsche's own language in the preface, § 3, to Genealogy of Morals, but that he did not venture to follow the impulse at first, owing to aversion to the subject in the circles about him and the indifference of the general public to the older moralists of that type—a contributory factor being that his own thoughts were not ripe and had no definite direction. Accordingly, when later, i.e., with the period we are now considering, he appeared as a moralist, all the world was surprised and disgusted.

d He echoes Goethe's estimate of reason and science as the highest capacity of man (Human, etc., § 265) . Nothing is more urgent than knowing, and keeping oneself continuously in condition to do so thoroughly (ibid., § 288). See in particular the remarks on the scientific man of the type of Aristotle (ibid., § 264) .

e This perhaps not entirely from lack of will. Later on, as we shall see, he planned an extensive course of study in the natural sciences, and he now remarks that every one ought to master at least one science thoroughly, so as to know what scientific method means and how necessary is the utmost circumspection—recommending this especially to women (Human, etc., 635). Perhaps an exception should be made to the language of the text, so far as Nietzsche had specialized in Greek philology. Had he remained faithful to this specialty and not been drawn into the general field of philosophy and ethics, he might have produced something of the first rank in it. Richter says, "I am convinced that had Nietzsche held on to philology and his professional work, he might have become an historian of Greek culture in great style and of great authority" (op. cit., p. 58).

f Cf. Nietzsche's own language on the hesitating, intermediate character of this period, Dawn of Day, § 30.

g Nietzsche, however, speaks of the friendly extravagance of the inscription (letter to Rohde, Briefe, II, 549) .

h Nietzsche writes to Rohde in the above-mentioned letter (of June, 1878): "By the way, always seek out myself in my book [Human, All-too-Human] and not friend Rée. I am proud to have discovered his splendid qualities and intentions, but he has not had the slightest influence on the conception of my 'philosophia in nuce'; this was finished and in good part committed to paper, when I made his nearer acquaintance in the autumn of 1876" [perhaps the word "conception" is significant, the statement not being really inconsistent with indebtedness to Rée for help in detail]. An account of the intellectual relations of Nietzsche to Rée is given in the preface (§ 4; cf. § 7) to Genealogy of