The wound of existence: A Nietzschean reading of Garcia Lorca

The purpose of this dissertation is to compare Friedrich Nietzsche's understanding of the complex and challenging interaction between individual and society with Federico Garcia Lorca's artistic representation of women's struggle for individual affirmation in the rural villages of Spain at the beginning of the 20th century. The theoretical framework of this dissertation project builds upon Nietzsche's interpretation of the unresolved dynamic between the individual and his society. On the one hand the free and morally responsible spirit follows by necessity only the dictates of his individuality. On the other hand the individual must negotiate a desired place in a society that owes its own existence to the dissolution of individuation. This very dynamic tension gives rise to an existential struggle that will test and temper the individual's moral caliber. This study proposes that by comparing Nietzsche's views of individual morality to the aesthetic representation of Garcia Lorca's tragic heroines, we can arrive at a better appreciation of Lorca's modern approach to the nature of the tragic hero. This dissertation discusses the contributions of Nietzsche as both a philosopher and a poet. Nietzsche's metaphorical writing demands such an interdisciplinary approach. It is in this hybrid space between philosophy and poetry where I find the intersection of Nietzsche's philosophy with Garcia Lorca's poetry. The emotional power of Nietzsche's poetic language strikes a chord in the creativity of the Spanish dramatist, as he candidly acknowledged when he declared: "It is a Nietzschean idea. That's why Nietzsche wounds my heart." This work seeks to redress a critical gap in the study of one of the most important Spanish authors of the 20th century.