Need some (mostly fiction) books to read to get a better idea of nihilism? Just want to sound pretentious and get a head start on your peers at hating life? Well than do I have the list for you!
Bladerunner. Dir. Ridley Scott. Prod. Ridley Scott. Warner Brothers, 2007. DVD. A science fiction classic, Bladerunner follows a private detective, Deckard, on his mission to destroy rouge synthetic humans. Like most noire stories it uses Nietzsche’s idea of an ubermensch and translates it into modern society. Bladerunner gives the viewer a picture of how a man might function by sticking to his own morals and ideas of existence independent of the society around him.
Cultural Marxism the Corruption of America. Dir. James Jaeger. Matrix Entertainment Corporation, 2010. Video File. Youtube. Web, 26 Oct. 2014. A documentary film that covers the supposed rise of cultural Marxism in American society, and its detrimental effects on our society as a whole. Although it labels itself as a documentary, many of the facts and assertions presented are not cited nor a source referenced.
Bukowski, Charles. Factotum. Los Angeles: Black Sparrow, 1975. Print. Factotum is a semi-autobiographical story about a drunk and his attempts at both surviving in the real world and becoming a writer. Like The Stranger, the main character is bogged down by the meaninglessness of life, but instead of giving up on life like Meursault from The Stranger, he strives to live a hedonistic, self-centered lifestyle.
Dostoyevsky, Fyodor. Notes from the Underground. New York: Dover Publications, 1992. Print.
Notes from the Underground is an existential novella (with heavy nihilistic themes) about a misanthropic Russian, the Underground Man, who lives a lonely and overall painful existence. Like The Stranger and Factotum is serves as a warning for those willing to accept the tenets of Nihilism. It presents a possible scenario of self-destruction that could envelop one if only accept the meaningless of life and do not move past that stage into acceptance.
Kafka, Franz, and Ian Johnston. The Metamorphosis. Auckland, N.Z.: Floating, 2008. Print. A novella about the physical transformation of Gregor Samsa, traveling insurance agent, into a giant insect. The story deals with the themes of family, and the modern disposability of the working class. It gives insight into why nihilism was formed to begin with, and the issues that it strives to address.
Camus, Albert, and Matthew Ward. The Stranger. New York: Vintage International, 1989. Print. A fiction novel about the life and death of a Frenchman who has lost all meaning in life. It gives insight into the detrimental effect modern society can have on people and on how embracing the meaninglessness of life can lead to destruction rather than release. Along with Notes from the Underground and Factotum, it addresses the pitfalls of nihilistic thought that can be detrimental to those unwilling to move past their own reservations.
Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm, Walter Arnold. Kaufmann, and R. J. Hollingdale. The Will to Power. New York: Vintage, 1968. Print. Another classic by Nietzsche, no I will not stop gushing about him, that outlines his idea of the titular philosophy through a collection of notes. It is a great source for getting an in depth explanation of his ideas and bases for nihilism. The Will to Power covers the ideas of objective truth, the lack of need for Christianity, what truth is, and the reevaluation of values based on these ideas.
Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm. Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Chicago: H. Regnery, 1957. Print. One of the original pieces regarding Nihilism from Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra follows an enlightening man coming down from his 10 year reprieve in the mountains to share his new wisdom with the people around him. It focuses on Nietzsche’s idea of the Ubermensch and how he would function in the modern world; that is, his process of teaching those around him of self-reliance in all aspects of life.
Metaphysical Downer 