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Studies on the Role and Meaning of the‘Dream’ in the Thoughts of Nietzsche – The Narrative of “The Dream” in Thus Spoke Zarathustra –
Journal of Humanities
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This paper analyzes the narrative of the dream in Thus Spoke Zarathustra, in order to understand Nietzsche as the forerunner of psychoanalysis. Nietzsche took a profound interest in the unconsciousness and the mechanism of dream. In Thus Spoke Zarathustra, he used the narrative of a dream for presenting his own important thoughts, namely “the will to power,” the theory of “eternal return” and so on. He thought that the dream was the expression of the unconsciousness and “the will to power,” and that the intuition of dream was adequate for expressing his own irrational and creative ideas. Zarathustra in Thus Spoke Zarathustra was characterized as the teacher of “overman” and “eternal return.” And Zarathustra as a poetic narrator is the Nietzsche’s “Persona.” But He is not only a storyteller but also an oneirocritic. The story of Zarathustra is a “psychodrama” in the perspective of a dream-interpretation. He is a wanderer who seeks for “das Selbst,” that is to say the genuine “Ich” concealed in the unconsciousness. The dream is like the fountain which springs incessantly from the will to power and the unconsciousness. The dream-image is a kind of riddle about the consciousness. According to Jung, the interpretation of dreams is the process of “individuation.” Zarathustra’s dreams are quite similar to the myth. We can find symbols and archetypes here and there in Thus spoke Zarathustra. Nietzsche intended to create a kind of myth through the various dreams. His intuitional thinking was related to dreaming, imaging and creating. Also, the many artists were influenced by his creative thinking. Therefore, to view Nietzsche as the narrator of the dream will be an opportunity to discover his another personae as a creative dreamer and storyteller.
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