Coming soon
Kierkegaard on the Life-View
Expected online publication date: 10 November 2026
Summary
This Element traces the emergence, development, and eventual sublation of the concept of life-view in Kierkegaard's authorship. It begins with Kierkegaard's review of Hans Christian Andersen, From the Papers of One Still Living (1838), examining the influence of Heibergian-Hegelian aesthetics, the bildungsroman tradition, and Poul Martin Møller's critique of 'nihilistic' European literature on Kierkegaard's early understanding of the concept. The analysis then considers how, inspired by Schleiermacher, Kierkegaard employs 'life-view' to develop his pseudonymous authorship, leading to the stages of existence in Either/Or (1843) and Stages on Life's Way (1845). Life-view also becomes a crucial term in Kierkegaard's criticism of the daily press and defines good authorship, as Kierkegaard's Literary Review of Gyllembourg's Two Ages and Book on Adler show (1846). In his late authorship, however, Kierkegaard's critique of institutionalised Christianity, his reversal of bildung, and the revision of human agency culminate in a sublation of the concept of life-view.
Information
- Type
- Element
- Information
- Online ISBN: 9781009671842Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Accessibility standard: WCAG 2.0 A
Why this information is here
This section outlines the accessibility features of this content - including support for screen readers, full keyboard navigation and high-contrast display options. This may not be relevant for you.Accessibility Information
The PDF of this Element
conforms to version 2.0 of the
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
(WCAG), ensuring core accessibility principles are addressed and meets the basic
(A)
level of WCAG compliance, addressing essential accessibility barriers.
Content Navigation
Table of contents navigation
Allows you to navigate directly to chapters, sections, or non‐text items through a linked table of contents, reducing the need for extensive scrolling.
Allows you to navigate directly to chapters, sections, or non‐text items through a linked table of contents, reducing the need for extensive scrolling.
Reading Order & Textual Equivalents
Single logical reading order
You will encounter all content (including footnotes, captions, etc.) in a clear, sequential flow, making it easier to follow with assistive tools like screen readers.
You will encounter all content (including footnotes, captions, etc.) in a clear, sequential flow, making it easier to follow with assistive tools like screen readers.
Structural and Technical Features
ARIA roles provided
You gain clarity from ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) roles and attributes, as they help assistive technologies interpret how each part of the content functions.
You gain clarity from ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) roles and attributes, as they help assistive technologies interpret how each part of the content functions.