Kierkegaard's Writings, I: Early Polemical Writings

353 Pages·2009·27.18 MB·English

by  Kierkegaard

EARLY POLEMICAL WRITINGS
KIERKEGAARD'S WRITINGS, I

EARLY POLEMICAL WRITINGS
by Seren Kierkegaard
Edited and Translated
with Introduction and Notes by
Julia Watkin
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS
PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY
Copyright © 1990 by julia Watkin
Published by Princeton University Press,
41 William Street, Princeton, New jersey 08540
In the United Kingdom: Princeton University Press, 6 Oxford Street,
Woodstock, Oxfordshire OX20 1TW
All Rights Reserved
Third printing, and first paperback printing, 2009
Paperback ISBN: 978-0-691-14072-8
The Library if Congress has cataloged the cloth edition of this book as follows
Kierkegaard, Seren, 1813-1855.
{Endnu levendes papirer. English.]
Early polemical writings I by Seren Kierkegaard ;
edited and translated with introduction and notes by julia Watkin.
p. em.-(Kierkegaard's writings; 1)
Translation of Endnu levendes papirer.
Includes bibliographical riferences.
ISBN 0-691-07369-4 (alk. paper)
I. Watkin,julia. II. Title. III. Series: Kierkegaard, Seren,
1813-1855. Works. English. 1978; 1.
PT8142.A6 1990
839.8'18609-dc20 89-28858
British Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available
Preparation if this volume has been made possible in part by a grant from
the Division if Research Programs of the National Endowment
for the Humanities, an independent federal agency
Printed on acid:free paper. ~
Designed by Frank Mahood
press.princeton.edu
Printed in the United States ifA merica
3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4
CONTENTS
HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION vii
I. Articles from Student Days, 1834-1836
1
ANoTHER DEFENSE oF WoMAN's GREAT ABILITIEs
3
THE MORNING OBSERVATIONS IN
KJ0BENHAVNSPOSTEN No. 43
6
ON THE PoLEMIC OF F. tEDRELANDET
12
To MR. 0RLA LEHMANN
24
Addendum
OuR JouRNALISTic LITERATURE
35
II. From the Papers ofO ne Still Living
53
Preface
55
Andersen as a Novelist
with Continual Reference to His Latest Work:
Only a Fiddler
61
Vl Contents
III. The Battle between the Old and the New Soap-Cellars
103
SUPPLEMENT 125
Key to References 126
Background Material Pertaining to Articles, Addendum,
and From the Papers ofO ne Still Living 129
Original Title Page of From the Papers ofO ne Still Living
and Draft First Pages of The Battle between the Old and
the New Soap-Cellars 206
Selected Entries from Kierkegaard's Journals
and Papers Pertaining to Articles, Addendum, and From
the Papers ofO ne Still Living 211
EDITORIAL APPENDIX 223
Acknowledgments 225
Collation of the Articles in the Danish Editions of
Kierkegaard's Collected Works 227
Collation of From the Papers ofO ne Still Living in the
Danish Editions ofKierkegaard's Collected Works 228
NOTES 229
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE 285
INDEX 287
HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION
When did Kierkegaard begin his authorship? In On My Work
as an Author (1851) and The Point of View for My Work as an
Author (1859), the authorship is clearly viewed as beginning
with Either/Or in 1843,1 but this omits not only From the Pa
pers oJOne Still Living (1838) and The Concept of Irony (1841)
but also several articles written in his student days. If one takes
a closer look at the material, however, it is easy to see why
Kierkegaard regarded Either/Or as his first work. The teasing
newspaper articles are not consciously related to the basic aims
of the authorship as expressed in On My Work as an Author and
Point of View. From the Papers is a review originally intended
for Johan Ludvig Heiberg's Perseus, 2 and Irony is Kierke
gaard's master's dissertation. 3
Although the authorship proper did not begin before
Either/Or, some of its themes appeared in both published and
unpublished material prior to 1843. In the period 1834-1838,
Kierkegaard is clearly trying his hand at various styles of writ
ing and is experimenting, if unconsciously, with various
forms of expression ranging from newspaper article to drama.
As was usual with Kierkegaard later, his literary activity
' See The Point of View, KWXXII (SVXIII 494, 517).
2 See Kierkegaard: Letters and Documents, Letter 9, KWXXV. Johan Ludvig
Heiberg (1791-1860), poet and esthetician and introducer of Hegel's philoso
phy to Denmark, was a leading cultural figure, active as playwright, critic,
translator, and director of the Royal Theater Copenhagen. His wife was
the leading actress Johanne Luise Heiberg (nee Patges) (1812-1890). Among
his literary productions was Perseus, Journal for den speculative Idee (1837-38).
Heiberg appears to have been critical ofKierkegaard's style in From the Papers
of One Still Living, but, in any case, Perseus had ceased publication in August
1838.
3 The degree of Magister was the highest postgraduate degree in the faculty
of philosophy and corresponded to the Doctor's degree in other faculties of
Copenhagen University. In 1854, those with the M.A. degree were declared
to be Doctors of Philosophy.
V111 Historical Introduction
contained a response to what was going on in the world
around him, but he was never involved in direct political en
gagement. At first glance, at least some of the material appears
to be nothing more than light, dilettantish nonsense, contrast
ing strangely with the dedicated earnestness of people like Jo
hannes Hage and Orla Lehmann. 4 Indeed, given the political
conditions of Europe at the time, Kierkegaard's attitude
would perhaps be noteworthy in its lack of political interest if
we did not have an understanding of the situation in Denmark
and the circumstances of his own life.
The French Revolution ofJ uly 27, 1830, had caused rebel
lion and disturbance throughout Europe. The urge to liberty
seemed to express itself everywhere in revolt against oppres
sive government and control. The excitement of the various
tumults even penetrated the Kierkegaard home in Copen
hagen, for we learn from the diary of Seren's elder brother
Peter Christian Kierkegaard (1805-1888) that during a stay in
Paris, which happened to coincide with the 1830 July Revo
lution, he was forced to help with barricade building. 5 Further,
in a letter dated September 14, 1830, from A. G. Rudelbach's
4 Johannes Dam Hage (1800-1837), the Roskilde schoolmaster who became
a pioneering figure in the movement toward a liberal constitution. Hage was
well versed in the political and economic questions of the time and was con
sidered to be a talented political writer. Added to other troubles, the law court
ban depriving him of political expression and of his editorship of Faedrelandet
became the final blow that caused him to commit suicide.
Peter Martin Orla Lehmann (1810-1870) began his career in the legal
profession. Inspired by the July Revolution and gifted as a speaker, he soon
became, like Hage, a pioneer figure in the Liberal movement and active in
journalism. When, in 1835, Selskabet for Trykkefrihedens rette Brug was
founded, he was a leading member, and it was Lehmann who in 1839 drew
up and presented to Christian VIII the address asking for a free constitution.
In 1842, Lehmann was imprisoned for three months for one of his political
speeches and thereby won popularity for himself and the Liberal cause. De
spite his successful legal and political career and his weathering of the vicissi
tudes of political life, he became disillusioned by the course of events after
Frederik VII's death in 1863, and from 1864, with increasing bad health, was
a broken man.
5 See Carl Weltzer, Peter og Seren Kierkegaard, I-ll (Copenhagen: 1936), I,
p. 34.
Historical Introduction lX
sisters to Rudelbach, who was also abroad, we learn that an
other brother, Niels Andreas Kierkegaard, was in Germany
(Hamburg), where there was also agitation. 6 J. L. Heiberg,
writing to his exiled father on August 17, 1830, declared that
"through the revolution, civilization has made an enormous
step forward, not only in France but in the world as a whole."7
The European situation in 1830 was not, however, reflected in
Denmark in terms of a general political awakening or activity,
partly because of the relationship between king and people
and partly because of the restrictions on the freedom of the
press.
Through a bloodless coup in 1784, Frederik VI (1768-1839) as
rightful crown prince had taken over absolute monarchical
power from his ailing father, Christian VII (1749-1808), and
thus from the Guldberg government supporting the Queen
Mother's party. Thanks to the availability of wise counselors
during his regency, Frederik governed well at the beginning.
His period of rule is marked by important reforms8-for ex
ample, the abolition of villeinage--but he patently lacked the
diplomatic capacity to carry the country through a crisis with-
6 Ibid., p. 33. Andreas Gottlob Rudelbach (1792-1862), pastor and theolo
gian, was superintendent with pastoral office in Glaucha, Saxony, 1828-45. In
1848, he was appointed pastor in Slagelse, Sj;elland, Denmark. He was author
of various theological works.
Niels Andreas Kierkegaard (1809-1833) died in Paterson, New Jersey, after
an illness.
7 See Breve.fra og til]ohan Ludvig Heiberg, published anonymously through
the agency of Johanne Luise Heiberg (Copenhagen: 1862), p. 132, letter to
Peter Andreas Heiberg (1758-1841) in Paris. P. A. Heiberg, Danish author
and translator, having made his presence felt in Denmark as a political satirist,
was permanently exiled after various literary clashes with the government in
the 1790s. He was condemned under legislation brought in after his offense,
namely, the press law of September 27, 1799, and left Denmark on February
7, 1800. He was married to Thomasine Christine Buntzen (1773-1856), who
later divorced him and in 1801 married the exiled Swedish baron, Karl Fred
erik Ehrensvard Gyllembourg.
8 On Frederik VI's life and reforms, see, for example, Axel Linvald, Kron
prins Frederik og Hans Regering 1797-1807 (Copenhagen: 1923); Marcus Rubin,
Frederik VI's Tid (Copenhagen: 1895).