The Overman in the Marketplace: Nietzschean Heroism in Popular Culture - Softcover

If one thinks that fascism was the only political Nietzscheanism of the 20th century, Ishay Landa's compelling and enthralling book reminds us of Nietzsche as a philosophical inspiration behind Tarzan, James Bond, Dr. Lecter and others as popular (un-)political heroes as well. -- Bernhard H. F. Taureck, University of Braunschweig Ishay Landa's book provides an interesting and provocative analysis of the development of this notion, and raises a number of important questions concerning the ways in which popular culture, politics and philosophy interact. * Metapsychology Online * Far from being 'untimely,' Nietzsche is just as current today as he was in his own time, as is testified by his pervasive presence in politics, literature, cinematography and popular culture. With his refined and richly interdisciplinary analysis, Ishay Landa has earned himself a prominent place in Nietzsche's never-ending bibliography. -- Domenico Losurdo, University of Urbino

The Overman in the Marketplace explores the emergence and significance of 'a Nietzschean heroic model' in twentieth-century popular culture, some notable examples of which are such pop culture icons as James Bond, Tarzan, Hannibal Lecter and Ayn Rand's heroes. Taking on the nineteenth-century romantic rebellion against realism, the Nietzschean hero becomes a crusader against the perceived leveling-down of mass society. The bourgeois, realistic hero is ousted in favor of a neo-aristocratic hero who roams beyond good and evil, no longer bound to any universalistic mission, in fact doing all he can to repel the rising tides of egalitarianism. This engaging book aims at integrating the analysis of Nietzschean heroism into a comprehensive social and ideological critique. The Overman in the Marketplace is a captivating text that will appeal to those interested in philosophy and popular culture.