Nietzsche has the reputation of being a virulent misogynist, so why are feminists interested in his philosophy? The essays in this volume provide answers to this question from a variety of feminist perspectives.The organization of the volume into two sets of essays, Nietzsche's Use of Woman and Feminists' Use of Nietzsche, reflects the two general approaches taken to the issue of Nietzsche and woman. First, many debates have focused on how to interpret Nietzsche's remarks about women and femininity. Are all of Nietzsche's comments to be read literally, or is he being ironic, perhaps even parodying and subverting stereotypes about women? Second, is his philosophy useful to feminist theory? Can we separate his philosophy from his seemingly derogatory remarks about women? Can feminists use his criticisms of truth, objectivity, reason, and the autonomous subject to challenge the exclusion of women from the history of philosophy? Some view his critiques of dualism and essentialism as well as his perspectivism and social constructivism as adumbrating later feminist positions. Others find troubling his privileging of masculinity and paradigms of domination; they see Nietzsche's sexual dualism as countering otherwise transgressive themes.Contributors are Debra Bergoffen, Maudmarie Clark, Daniel Conway, Jacques Derrida, Jean Graybeal, Kathleen Higgins, Luce Irigaray, Sarah Kofman, Tamsin Lorraine, Kelly Oliver, David Owen, Marilyn Pearsall, Lynne Tirrell, Ofelia Schutte, and Kathleen Wininger.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [327]-330) and index.

Introduction: why feminists read Nietzsche? / Kelly Oliver and Marilyn Pearsall — pt. 1. Nietzsche's use of women. Baubão : theological perversion and fetishism / Sarah Kofman. The question of style / Jacques Derrida. Woman as truth in Nietzsche's writing / Kelly Oliver. Veiled lips / Luce Irigaray. Nietzsche and feminism : transvaluing women in Thus spoke Zarathustra / Tamsin Lorraine. Gender in The gay science / Kathleen Marie Higgins. Ecce Homo : abjection and "the feminine" / Jean Graybeal — pt. 2. Feminists' use of Nietzsche. Nietzschean mythologies : the inversion of value and the war against women / Linda Singer. Nietzsche's misogyny / Maudemarie Clark. Sexual dualism and women's self-creation : on the advantages and disadvantages of reading Nietzsche for feminists / Lynne Tirrell. Nietzsche was no feminist ... / Debra B. Bergoffen. Nietzsche's women and women's Nietzsche / Kathleen J. Wininger. The slave revolt in epistemology / Daniel W. Conway. Nietzsche's politics / Ofelia Schutte. Nietzsche's squandered seductions : feminism, the body, and the politics of genealogy / David Owen.