The Humor of Kierkegaard: An Anthology

by Søren Kierkegaard, Thomas C. Oden (Editor)

Who might reasonably be nominated as the funniest philosopher of all time? With this anthology, Thomas Oden provisionally declares Søren Aabye Kierkegaard (1813-1855)--despite his enduring stereotype as the melancholy, despairing Dane--as, among philosophers, the most amusing.


Kierkegaard not only explored comic perception to its depths but also practiced the art of comedy as astutely as any writer of his time. This collection shows how his theory of comedy is integrated into his practice of comic perception, and how both are integral to his entire authorship.


Kierkegaard's humor ranges from the droll to the rollicking; from farce to intricate, subtle analysis; from nimble stories to amusing aphorisms. In these pages you are invited to meet the wife of an author who burned her husband's manuscript and a businessman who, even with an abundance of calling cards, forgot his own name. You will hear of an interminable vacillator whom archeologists found still pacing thousands of years later, trying to come to a decision. Then there is the emperor who became a barkeeper in order to stay in the know.



The Humor of Kierkegaard is for anyone ready to be amused by human follies. Those new to Kierkegaard will discover a dazzling mind worth meeting. Those already familiar with his theory of comedy will be delighted to see it concisely set forth and exemplified. Others may have read Kierkegaard intensively without having ever really noticed his comic side. Here they will find what they have been missing.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Comedy

352 pages, Paperback

First published July 6, 2004

About the author

Søren Aabye Kierkegaard was a prolific 19th century Danish philosopher and theologian. Kierkegaard strongly criticised both the Hegelianism of his time and what he saw as the empty formalities of the Church of Denmark. Much of his work deals with religious themes such as faith in God, the institution of the Christian Church, Christian ethics and theology, and the emotions and feelings of individuals when faced with life choices. His early work was written under various pseudonyms who present their own distinctive viewpoints in a complex dialogue.

Kierkegaard left the task of discovering the meaning of his works to the reader, because "the task must be made difficult, for only the difficult inspires the noble-hearted". Scholars have interpreted Kierkegaard variously as an existentialist, neo-orthodoxist, postmodernist, humanist, and individualist.

Crossing the boundaries of philosophy, theology, psychology, and literature, he is an influential figure in contemporary thought.

Reviews

[Kirk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kierkegaard's parables are food for thought. Our pastor's sermons when I was in high school used to quote a few of them. But very few are even remotely funny. Most are very remote from being funny.

Maybe Oden means "humor" in the ancient sense, as defined in Merriam-Webster: "One of the four fluids that were believed to enter into the constitution of the body and to determine by their relative proportions a person's health and temperament see BLACK BILE, BLOOD entry 1 sense 4a(2), PHLEGM sense 2, YELLOW BILE."

[Anderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not good for english. Can anyone recommend a translation?

[Leonardo]

Kirkegaard insistía en el carácter cómico del cristianismo ¿Existe algo más cómico que la encarnación, esa ridícula coincidencia de lo supremo y lo más bajo, la coincidencia de Dios, creador del universo, y un miserable hombre?

Visión de Paralaje Pág.152

[Shannan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I forgot that I read this in Danish after my mission. I don't know how it translates into English, but he is a fascinating philosopher.

[Douglas Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great stuff.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it with an occasional chuckle. You have to read it for yourself.