250 Nietzsche
Nietzsche's curiosity and provided a fresh impetus to his plan to seek a
partner in marriage. He wanted a mate who would run his household
and take over his secretarial work, as his sister had often done for him,
and, if at all possible, be his intellectual equal, as his sister had never
been. Nietzsche sometimes acted impulsively in situations like this, as
was evident in April 1876 when he made a highly aggressive impromptu
proposal of marriage to Mathilde Trampedach after they had met on
only three occasions. The woman was quite startled and rejected him
outright, whereupon Nietzsche retreated as if nothing had happened.
Not a trace of love or passion. Just as precipitate was his renewed idea
of marriage in March 1882 when he heard the news from Rome.
In a letter to Overbeck of March 17, 1882, after complaining about
his defective typewriter and his failing eyesight, and adding the comment
that he would be well served by a "reading machine," he went on to say:
"1 need a young person around me who is intelligent and educated
enough to be able to work with me. I would even agree to two years of
marriage for this purpose—in which case, of course, a few additional
considerations would apply" (B 6,180). In a letter to Paul Rèe dated
March 21, Nietzsche expressed the same wishes, but this time in an
ironic, flirtatious tone tinged with hesitancy: "Give that Russian giri my
regards if that makes any sense: I lust after this kind of soul. Indeed, I
plan to go on the prowl for one quite soon; considering what I wish to
accomplish in the next ten years, I need one. Marriage is an altogether
different story—1 could agree only to a maximum of two years of mar-
riage" (B 6,185f.). Nonetheless, Nietzsche stopped in Messina before
going on to Rome. He learned from Rèe that this side trip had raised him
in the estimation of the Russian woman, almost as though his trip had
been well orchestrated. Rèe wrote to Nietzsche that this sojourn "aston-
ished and worried the young Russian She has grown so eager to see
you and to speak to you" (15,120; Chronik).
Such was the beginning of this relationship before it really began.
Their first facc-to-face meeting took place at the end of April at Saint
Peter's Basilica in Rome. Nietzsche's first words were these: "From