Rick,
    My guess has always been that by "Neo-Nietzchean" Pound was implying a
sort of cafe intellectual fashionable variety of the philosopher discussed
among individuals who probably were always on p.2 of "Zarathustra". As to
the fascist attraction this I think has largely been taunted by those who
mistakenly wished to make a connection between the amoral megalomania of the
Nazis and the real elevating and liberating philosophy of Nietzche's
transcending "uebermensch" as he is described in "Beyond Good and Evil" and
"Zarathustra". He has nothing to do with political totalitarian despots. In
fact he is presented as the antithesis of that type. His is an entirely
personal and lonely struggle. Besides this all happens 10 years after
"Mauberley".
    There is of course the influence of Nietzsche on early 20th. Cent.
writers like O'Neil, Shaw*, Pound's friend, Mencken who translated "The
Antichrist", etc. Pound may have been reacting to the overwhelming influence
of the philosopher at this time only some twenty years after his death. My
understanding is that Nietzsche steadily gained in popularity after his
death so I am still a bit perplexed by the "Neo" prefix.
    In "How to Read" from THE LITERARY ESSAYS Pound writes, "Thought was
churned up by Darwin, by science, by industrial machines, Nietzsche made a
temporary commotion, but these things are extraneous to our subject, which
is the art of getting meaning into words." This seems like a rather cool
acknowledgement. Pound may have thought N was overrated.
    Perhaps someone knows of other references?

* "So we have Shaw; that is to say, Ibsen with the sombre reality taken out,
a little Nietzsche put in to enliven things, and a technique of dialogue
superadded from Wilde." -Pound from "Mr. James Joyce and the Modern Stage"
("The Drama", Chicago, VI,2 [February 1916], pages 122-132

Charles

----------
>From: Richard Seddon <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Canto II & Prohibition
>Date: Tue, Oct 14, 2003, 1:59 PM
>

> Charles:
>
> Why did Pound specify "Neo-Nietzschean" if he meant "Nietzschean"?  What is
> the difference between "Neo" and original?
>
> Rick Seddon