Nietzsche's Voice: Nihilism and the Will to Knowledge

Henry Staten adopts an innovative "psychodialectical" approach to Nietzsche, drawn from Nietzsche's own doctrine that philosophical thought is governed by drives and instincts that--for Nietzsche as for Freud--are fundamentally sexual in nature. Staten explores what he calls the libidinal economy of the Nietzschean text, focusing on the dialectic between Nietzsche's conscious project and the system of erotic influences upon his writings. Addressing both Nietzsche's thematic concerns and the nuances of his rhetoric, Staten offers penetrating interpretations of individual works including The Genealogy of Morals, The Birth of Tragedy, and Thus Spake Zarathustra.