Nietzsche's Last Laugh: Ecce Homo as Satire

Abstract

Against the many who claim that Nietzsche's Ecce Homo is useless, madness, or merely inscrutable, my close analysis of the philosopher's last original composition reveals that his so-called autobiography actually inhabits an ancient literary form: satire. After establishing how to read this much-maligned book, I argue that Ecce Homo gives us the best example of Nietzsche interpreting his own philosophy, and constitutes a rhetorical and therapeutic strategy for him to engage and survive his "dangerous truths" through humor. Finally, I outline the import of reading Nietzsche as a satirist-not only in his final work, but across his corpus.