Overview and Major Themes
Part IX is the book’s last chapter (other than the poems at the end). Rather than delivering a “Conclusion”, Nietzsche decides to end the book with what has become for him a very important question — “What is Noble?”.
His general answer?
Nobility is a way of valuing and feeling. It is defined by rank-ordering and by the pathos of distance — a felt sense of height and difference that makes higher and lower meaningful.
But the point is not simply to simply arrive at a definition or a “theory” of nobility and it’s value, but to open up a new pathway into the exploration and development of the human spirit. Nietzsche is interested in renewing an investigation into what has been noble, historically, and what nobility could become in both the present and future.
This chapter begins with a bang and remains explosive throughout. It ends with a discussion of Nietzsche’s sacrifice to the god Dionysius — the god of ritual madness, frenzy, passion, and the affirmation of life.
