Untimely Meditations

Untimely Considerations contain four essays: 'David Strauss - Writer and Confessor'; 'On the Use and Abuse of History for Life'; 'Schopenhauer as Educator'; and 'Richard Wagner at Bayreuth'. The essays date from the early part of Nietzsche’s life when his Romantic view on life and art was coloured by the powerful writings and personalities of such figures as Schopenhauer and Wagner - as the titles of two of the essays proclaim. Published between 1873 and 1876, they were presented under the umbrella title 'Unzeitgemässe Betrachtungen', which has been variously translated as 'Thoughts Out Of Season', 'Untimely Meditations', 'Unfashionable Observations' - and 'Untimely Considerations'. They reflect his early interest particularly in culture, philosophy, and the interplay between art, science and life - topics which he would revisit over the following years. In ‘David Strauss: the Confessor and Writer’, he labels Strauss - a prominent Protestant theologian of the time - as a Philistine, in