Psicology and decadence in “the case of Wagner”. an interpretation based on Nietzsche’s reception of Paul Bourget

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze an extract from The case of Wagner, where Nietzsche condenses some issues about the relation between Wagner, decadence and psychology. The condensed character of his statements entails several questions, which we seek to elucidate. Firstly, we explore why Nietzsche argues that Germans misunderstood Wagner and how this is related to the fact that they have never been psychologists. Secondly, we examine why Nietzsche maintains that there is an affinity between Wagner and the French décadence. To explain these issues we refer to a central source of Nietzsche’s philosophy: Paul Bourget’s Essais de psychologie contemporaine. Finally, we present a tension we find between Nietzsche’s critical diagnosis of the decadence and the psychological practice he defends.