This book offers a lively and unorthodox analysis of Nietzsche by examining a neglected aspect of his scholarly personality - his sense of humour. While often thought of as ponderous and melancholy, the Nietzsche of Higgins's study is a surprisingly subtle and light-hearted writer. She presents a close reading of The Gay Science to show how the numerous literary risks that Nietzsche takes reveal humour to be central to his project. Higgins argues that his use of humour is intended to dislodge readers from their usual somber detachment and to incite imaginative thinking.