Joyful Science, F. Nietzsche

The dense collection of aphorisms The Joyful Science is one of Nietzsche's most important works. He originally intended to write a sequel to the preceding Dawn Tides (1881), but during the work his conception changed so much that he published the aphorisms as a new book, which became the imaginary "center" of his work. The most famous motifs announced in The Joyful Science (1882) include the ideas of "eternal return" and "the death of God", which Nietzsche subsequently developed in the poetic synthesis of his philosophy Thus Spoke Zarathustra (1883-1885). He then described both previous books as introductions and commentaries, to which he only subsequently wrote his own text.