Culture and Cruelty in Nietzsche, Dostoevsky, and Artaud

Questioning the Enlightenment in Nietzsche, Dostoyevsky, and Artaud challenges the cultural optimism of the Enlighten through an examination of Nietzsche, Dostoevsky, and Artaud. The Enlightenment was characterized, as Arnold put it, as “sweetness and light”. Nietzsche, Dostoevsky, and Artaud each pushed back against the optimism of the enlightenment through their writing and advanced the idea of cruelty as lying at the root of all human nature and culture. In this study, Statkiewicz explores the seemingly opposing notions of culture and cruelty within the works of these authors to discuss their complex relationship with one another. Cover 1 Culture and Cruelty in Nietzsche, Dostoevsky, and Artaud 2 Culture and Cruelty in Nietzsche, Dostoevsky, and Artaud 4 Copyright page 5 Contents 10 Abbreviations of Nietzsche’s Works 12 Abbreviations of Dostoevsky’s Works 14 Acknowledgments 16 Introduction 18 Chapter 1 28 Cruelty 28 Philistines of Culture and Goatherds 28 Beyond Pessimism and Optimism 30 The New Opposition: Tragic Culture versus Theoretical Culture 32 Cruel Origins of Culture 34 The Good and the Cruel 39 The Cruelty of the Hammer 41 Cruelty of the Tragic 43 The Question of Tradition 46 Notes 49 Chapter 2 56 “Feeling of Thought” 56 Nietzsche and Dostoevsky 57 Philosophy and Art 58 Art as a Distinctive Countermovement to Nihilism 61 Historical and Literary Truth 62 Ideas in Demons 63 Words and Deeds 65 Kirillov’s Conondrum 67 Notes 70 Chapter 3 76 Purification of Cruelty in Antonin Artaud 76 Aristotelian and Artaudian Catharsis 77 Cruelty and Anarchy 82 Fiery Purification 86 Alchemical Purification 88 Anarchic Poetics 93 “Cruel” Metaphysics 95 Notes 100 Conclusion 108 Bibliography 112 Works to Consult 126 Index 128 About the Author 136 Culture and cruelty in Nietzsche, Dostoyevsky, and Artaud challenges the cultural optimism of the Enlightenment through an examination of Nietzsche, Dostoevsky, and Artaud. The Enlightenment was characterized, as Arnold put it, as "sweetness and light". Nietzsche, Dostoevsky, and Artaud each pushed back against the optimism of the Enlightenment through their writing and advanced the idea of cruelty as lying at the root of all human nature and culture. In this study, Statkiewicz explores the seemingly opposing notions of culture and cruelty within the works of these authors to discuss their complex relationship with one another This Book Challenges The Cultural Optimism Of The Enlighten Through An Examination Of Nietzsche, Dostoevsky, And Artaud. These Authors Pushed Back Against The Optimism Of The Enlightenment Through Their Writing And Advanced The Idea Of Cruelty As Lying At The Root Of All Human Nature And Culture.