Stypinski, Megan M. “'Reinventing the Gods': Bloomian Misprision in the Nietzschean Influence of Jim Morrison.” M.A. Ohio Dominican University, 2008.
“Nietzsche killed Jim Morrison...Morrison the Superman, the Dionysian madman, the Birth of Tragedy himself. But who knows who or what killed him?...” John Densmore, drummer for the Doors, wrote these words in his autobiography Riders on the Storm: My Life with Jim Morrison and the Doors published almost twenty years after Morrison’s mysterious death (Densmore 3). More than thirty years later, new theories continue to surface; myriad tales of drug overdose, murder, suicide and a plot to fake his death. The following essay will not focus on his passing or argue whether or not the Doors made a positive contribution to society. In contrast, this essay will explore the connection between Morrison and Friedrich Nietzsche alluded to in Densmore’s quote above. The purpose of this venture is to uncover the role Nietzschean philosophy played in the work of Jim Morrison and to honor the intellectual creativity and power of the band, an area often ignored. Using Harold Bloom’s theory of “misprision” as a guide, this essay will examine a selection of Morrison’s poems and lyrics, as well as his actions on stage, through the lens of several of Nietzsche’s concepts. In order to delve into this topic, it was necessary to trace the evolution of the artist and those who inspired his creative process. Ultimately, the work of Morrison and the Doors demonstrates a clear break from Bloom's “anxiety of influence” and successfully completes the poetic process of misprision thereby proving that Morrison created a place for himself as a writer and poet—his life's dream.