The struggling decade in the life of Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) encompasses the period between 1817 and 1827, that is, the year he had devoted to writing “The world as will and representation” and the ensuing nine years.
Schopenhauer had very optimistic expectations for his work “The world as will and representation” and did not hesitate to pay for its publications. In the early nineteenth century, we are talking about a substantial investment.
In contras to today’s electronic editing, the publication of a book in 1818 entailed vast amount of typesetting done by hand and the correction of mistakes detected during proofreading. It was a cumbersome, time-consuming process.
On top of that, one had to pay for the printing and binding costs. Even if the initial run amounted to five hundred copies, I estimate that, all in all, Schopenhauer must have disbursed the equivalent of the price of a large motorcycle.
Schopenhauer’s reaction to indifference
After receiving the books from the printer, he mailed a few dozens to reviewers in newspapers and magazines. He awaited an enthusiastic response, but was met with total indifference.
The lack of response disappointed Schopenhauer, but didn’t affect his self-confidence. He immediately began to plan a new book, expanding the ideas outlined in “The world as will and representation.”
Schopenhauer undertook in the years 1821 and 1822 a long journey across France, Switzerland, and Italy. While travelling, he took copious notes that he intended to use in his next books.
In 1823, Schopenhauer turned thirty-five. He settle down in Dresden and wrote the essay “On vision and colours.” It is a treatise on the nature of perception and aesthetics, excellently written, but adding little to Schopenhauer’s overall philosophy.
Joanna Schopenhauer, his mother, passed away in 1827. At that time, Schopenhauer was thirty-nine years old. He inherited most of her possessions; the copyrights on her romantic novels were not worth much, but her shares in the import-export firm in Danzig (the firm in which Heinrich Floris Schopenhauer had been a partner) threw out a sizeable dividends.
Schopenhauer’s prudence and foresight
In today’s currency, I estimate those dividends to amount to USD thirty-five thousand, that is, around USD three thousand per month. For the rest of his life, Schopenhauer would live on those dividends primarily; the revenue from his books, lectures and other activities remained negligible.
Schopenhauer welcomed the inheritance, but did not modify his lifestyle one iota; he continued to lead a sober, efficient and low-cost life. The only visible change in his lifestyle is that he determined to move to Frankfurt.
His former professor Fichte (1762-1814) had already passed away and the star professor in Berlin, Hegel (1770-1831) didn’t live very long afterwards. Schopenhauer’s removal to Frankfurt was caused by spread of sickness in Eastern Germany. Hegel is one of the celebrities that fell sick and died in those years.
Schopenhauer opted for rented accommodation in Frankfurt instead of purchasing a home. Renting gave him a vast margin of safety; he was living from dividends that came quarterly and could afford to rent rooms in a central location. If he had opted for purchasing a home, his assets would have been diminished.
Schopenhauer redoubles his efforts
Ten years had passed since the publication of “The world as will and representation” and Schopenhauer decided to expand its text and publish a second edition.
This time, Schopenhauer made the effort to mail many more copies to reviewers across Germany. Little by little, his efforts began to pay back by generating some positive reviews.
In 1829, the University of Berlin invited Schopenhauer to give a lecture series about his philosophy. Schopenhauer was forty-one at that time. He accepted the invitation immediately, delighted to speak from the same lecture room that Hegel had occupied before passing away in 1831.
Schopenhauer seizes a good opportunity
The lectures in Berlin marked a turning point in the career of Schopenhauer. He didn’t expect mainstream philosophers to appreciate his work, and his expectations proved correct. They simply ignored him. Nonetheless, dozens of students attended his lectures and the number grew from one day to the next.
Schopenhauer felt on top of the world. The meagre earnings from his books didn’t undermine his self-confidence. He knew he had developed a unique, fresh and fascinating philosophical system. Few people in history can claim to have done so.
In my next article, I’ll continue presenting Schopenhauer’s life and ideas. I’ll pick it up in the year 1830 and proceed from there onwards.
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