The work is is two parts with the first "parerga"-part consisting in six extended essays intended as supplementary to the author's thought whereas the second "paralipomena"-part consists in shorter elaborations divided by topic into thirty-one subheadings that cover material hitherto unaddressed by Schopenhauer, but complementary to the "parerga". 

In spite of the poor reception of his earlier works, somehow, the “Parerga and Paralipomena attracted the attention of John Oxenford, a noted observer and translator of German literary culture, who contributed a favourable review of the work in 1852 and in 1853 wrote an article on Schopenhauer's philosophy entitled "Iconoclasm in German Philosophy", which, through its German translation in Vossische Zeitung sparked in immediate interest of Schopenhauer's work in Germany and propelled him into philosophical fame. “The effect was dramatic and almost overnight Schopenhauer in his own country passed from obscurity to fame and from then till his death in 1860he basked in the sunshine of belated recognition and eminence.” (Payne, in the Preface to his translation of Parerga and Paralipomena into English, Oxford, 2000p. xii)

The work greatly influenced later philosophers, most notably Nietzsche, whose fondness of aphorism is directly inspired by “Parerga and Paralipomena”.

“One of the most significant and fascinating works of the great philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860). The Parerga (Volume 1) are six long essays; the Paralipomena (Volume 2) are shorter writings arranged under thirty-one different subject-headings. These works won widespread attention with their publication in 1851, helping to secure lasting international fame for Schopenhauer. Indeed, their intellectual vigor, literary power, and rich diversity are still extraordinary even today.” (Payne).