Nietzsche in America: The spectrum of perspectives, 1895-1925

An attempt is made to trace the impact of the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche on early twentieth-century North American thinkers. First, I review some contemporary Nietzsche scholarship, with special attention paid to reflections on Nietzsche's view of interpretation. Then, after a theory of Nietzsche's views about interpretation is outlined, this will be used to judge the merit of the interpretations and the appropriations of Nietzsche's thought offered by some early North American commentators. Four thinkers are selected as a representative sampling of this generation, and each of their positions is sketched and critiqued. James Gibbons Huneker represents the individualistic reading of Nietzsche; Emily S. Hamblen exemplifies the social reading of Nietzsche; William Mackintire Salter illustrates the moral understanding of Nietzsche; and George Burman Foster offers a religious approach to Nietzsche's ideas.