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Georg Kaiser's Rezeption of Friedrich Nietzsche: The Dramatist's Letters and Some Nietzschean Themes in His Works
Author(s) -
Helt Richard C.,
Pettey John Carson
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
orbis litterarum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.109
H-Index - 8
eISSN - 1600-0730
pISSN - 0105-7510
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0730.1982.tb01059.x
Subject(s) - style (visual arts) , german , literature , section (typography) , philosophy , writing style , composition (language) , period (music) , art , aesthetics , linguistics , advertising , business
Summary While many works and articles on Modern German Literature emphasize the influence of Friedrich Nietzsche's thought, style, and person on writers of the twentieth century, extremely few investigations have undertaken to establish the precise extent of Nietzsche's Rezeption by specific literary figures. Utilizing the correspondence of Georg Kaiser, the authors of this article demonstrate that the dramatist was not only quite well‐read in the works of Nietzsche, but that the philosopher greatly influenced the composition of several of Kaiser's dramas as well as his artistic and his personal writing style. Indeed, substantial evidence in the letters points to a strong personal identification on Kaiser's part with Friedrich Nietzsche. The first section contains a general discussion of the question of influence, and a detailed investigation of references to Nietzsche in Kaiser's correspondence. The final segment of the article deals with those works by Kaiser which are mentioned in the letters in connection with Nietzschean themes, ideas, and style.