ABSTRACT
The French reception of Nietzsche is notable in many respects. The prologue accounts for this aspect of the French reception of Nietzsche and assesses its interest and its significance. In England, Nietzsche is received with immediate success and is appropriated by George Bernard Shaw as a comical philosopher, an interpretation that does not find its way to the academe. Nietzsche’s appearance in England around 1900 has been characterized as one of the greatest popular successes a modern philosopher has ever enjoyed. Finally, the French interpretation of Nietzsche as a philosopher of laughter is significant because, independently of Nietzsche, the comical and similar notions have exerted an influence on philosophy outside of France. The significant role of Bataille and Klossowki, called the “second moment” of the French reception of Nietzsche, needs elaboration. The purpose of this prologue has been to trace the French reception of Nietzsche as a philosopher of laughter.
