Brian Michels's Reviews > The Birth of Tragedy

Before Nietzsche became unhinged he wrote this great work. It took a toll on me after I read it because it was my introduction to Nietzsche and everything of his that I read afterwards was miscued; it scattered my thought process for a few years. The Joyful Wisdom, filled with remarkable poetry, was nearly like an acid trip. Thank goodness young minds have the capacity of recovering.

At its simplest, The Birth of Tragedy is a foundation for drama - that which captures you and also moves you, wax and wane of the mind, the up and down tugs on your heartstrings, or a punch to the relaxed gut. It's one thing and still another, the back and forth of Apollo and Dionysis in a shared space and time each with their moments. More complex, and more definitive, and more exemplary of Nietzsche, The Birth of Tragedy could be seen as the birth of Irony.