The Strength of Measure: Nietzsche and the ‘Grand Style

Abstract

This article investigates the Nietzschean concept of “grand style,” studying its origin, sources, characteristics, and philosophical meanings. It shows the importance of the Renaissance figures who, read through Burckhardt, directed Nietzsche in initially outlining the conception of the grand style, its reinterpretation of elements coming from the aesthetics of the Greek world and the growing importance that philosophy acquired during the course of Nietzschean reflection until it reaches its peak in the years of maturity in which the “grand style” takes on broader meanings that go beyond the aesthetic field alone.