The Gay Science (1882)

The majority if this book consists of just under 400 short pieces, between a few lines and couple of pages in length, in which Nietzsche delivers his profound reflexions and aphorisms. There are also a few poems at the beginning and the end. .
The outlook of the pieces are quite varied, and if you flicked though, picked one, and read it, you might be cheered up, made to think about a miscellaneous issue, pushed towards an existential abyss, or just feel like going outside for walk. I will list a small selection of the varied headings of the pieces that stood out to me as I flicked through just now:
"The Danger of Vegetarians", "Too Oriental", "The Origin of Religion", "Dignity of Folly", "Against Remorse", "Work and Ennui", "Epicurus",
"The Way to Happiness"
There is quite a variety of things that are written about in this book, which might give it more appeal than some of his other ones. The way that Nietzsche writes is not technical, but his ideas will be more easily received by some people than others. I happen to agree with a lot of it, but some of it is also subversive, he entices us with the poetic sentiment, but after analysis we realise it is callous, or amoral.
Due to the structure of the book, and the fact that a lot seems to be said in each of the pieces, it will probably be a book that the reader will come back to, and re-read, after the initial reading. I did read the book right through, but it would be easy to read one piece and then spend five minutes thinking about it, over a cup of tea, then move onto another.
But if you don't like to think about deep issues, are intellectually squeamish, or don't like philosophy, then you will probably want to avoid this book. But for anyone who likes to think, then this is a book that will be quite enjoyed. ( )

Next to Ambrose Bierce's Devil's Dictionary, The Gay Science is my favorite source of clever soundbites about various topics, so invest in an edition with an index! ( )

Not so much a review of Nietzsche's book as a comment on the review placed here by mrellis64; Nietzsche posits the idea that one should live a life so full, so enjoyable, that one would be happy to have to live it over and over again "for eternity". mrellis64 asks "what changes would you make?", thereby missing the central point that one cannot make any changes. There would be no circumstances in which one would be aware that any changes might be beneficial (or detrimental for that matter).

Imagine, if you will, that you (and everyone else) had to keep living the same life over and over again for eternity. What changes would you make? Nietzsche’s theory of the Eternal Recurrence should make us all stop and examine the lives we are leading. A must read! ( )

Probably the wrong book to bring on vacation. I did try though...