Abstract: This essay explores Friedrich Nietzsche’s description of Thus Spoke Zarathustra as a “tragedy” in view of his reference to the book as “a book for all and none.” It argues that the book is tragic insofar as Zarathustra fails to communicate his humanity-saving message and, as such, he stands as a universal figure that expresses our existential solitude. In this respect the book is for everyone. It also argues that the book is a therapeutic work that expresses an unachievable conception of health that is inconsistent with the human condition. In the latter respect, the book is for no one.
Robert Wicks (Wed,) studied this question.