Wiley-Blackwell Kierkegaard: A Critical Reader (Blackwell Critical Reader)

For the first time, this collection brings together a selection of philosophically challenging interpretations of Kierkegaard's thought in a coherent critique of his own philosophy. From the Inside Flap Soren Kierkegaard – the prodigious Danish author who published dozens of genre-bending works of fiction, theology, philosophy and personal confession before his death in 1855 at the age of forty-two – would appear to be changing. Hitherto he has been interpreted either as a grim preacher of doom or as a precursor of ‘existentialism’. But at the end of the twentieth century he is beginning to emerge as a fundamental philosophical theorist and a scintillating theoretical stylist – on of the greatest figures of modern European thought, and perhaps a proto-postmodern to rival Nietzsche and Heidegger both in theme and significance. Beginning with an editorial introduction outlining the contradictory history of Kierkegaard’s reputation, this Critical Reader brings together a range of essays – some previously published – which together paint a vivid picture of the new Kierkegaard. Contributors include Paul Ricoeur, Emmanuel Levinas, Wilhelm Anz, David Wood, Joakim Garff, George Steiner, Gabriel Josipovici, Syviane Agacinski and Jacque Derrida. From the Back Cover Soren Kierkegaard - the prodigious Danish author who published dozens of genre-bending works of fiction, theology, philosophy and personal confession before his death in 1855 at the age of forty-two - would appear to be changing. Hitherto he has been interpreted either as a grim preacher of doom or as a precursor of 'existentialism'. But at the end of the twentieth century he is beginning to emerge as a fundamental philosophical theorist and a scintillating theoretical stylist - on of the greatest figures of modern European thought, and perhaps a proto-postmodern to rival Nietzsche and Heidegger both in theme and significance. Beginning with an editorial introduction outlining the contradictory history of Kierkegaard's reputation, this Critical Reader brings together a range of essays - some previously published - which together paint a vivid picture of the new Kierkegaard. Contributors include Paul Ricoeur, Emmanuel Levinas, Wilhelm Anz, David Wood, Joakim Garff, George Steiner, Gabriel Josipovici, Syviane Agacinski and Jacque Derrida. About the Author Jonathan Rée is lecturer in Philosophy at Middlesex University. Jane Chamberlain is attached to the Centre for Research in Modern European Philosophy at Middlesex University.