Nietzsche and Schiller

Book excerpt: This book, the first to attempt a thorough comparison of Nietzsche's and Schiller's thought, examines their programmes to reform the individual through aesthetic experience, with reference primarily to Nietzsche's Die Geburt der Tragodie and Schiller's Asthetische Briefe. It counters the prejudice that Nietzsche and Schiller represent a black-and-white contrast, draws a convincing picture of their shared cultural heritage and assumptions, and assesses the nature and implications of their claims for the 'untimeliness' of aesthetic experience and of their proposed reforms to man and society.