As our surrounding wooded paths begin to turn and yellow now that October is upon us, it seems the perfect time to explore a 2018 essay, “Fiat homo: Redeeming Frost via Nietzsche,”  written by German Studies Professor Joel Westerdale in which local favorite Robert Frost’s poem The Road Not Taken is given a Nietzschean spin. I love everything about this essay: revisiting a poem that is so familiar, reevaluating differing interpretations, exposing one’s own (okay, mine) unfortunate proclivity towards cynicism, rekindling interest in Nietzsche who is oft-cited and ill-used for others’ cynical projects. The whole thing is an intellectual trick-or-treat. It’s an enjoyable read, but also leaves one thinking through the wondrous trickery—what it means to determine “the manner in which to interpret” our own choices and paths taken in our lives. Enjoy!

View in ScholarWorks: https://scholarworks.smith.edu/ger_facpubs/4/ 

Smith ScholarWorks is Smith’s institutional repository of digital scholarship and research materials created and curated by faculty, students, and staff at Smith College. Browse by collections, disciplines, and authors.