A History Of Hegelianism In Golden Age Denmark Tome I

This second tome treats the most dynamic period in the history of the Danish Hegel reception, namely, the years from 1837 to 1842. The main figure in this period is the theologian Hans Lassen Martensen who made Hegel's philosophy a sensation among the students at the University of Copenhagen in the late 1830s. This period also includes the publication of Johan Ludwig Heiberg's Hegelian journal, Perseus, in 1837 and 1838, and the monumental review of it by Frederik Christian Sibbern. During this time Hegel's philosophy flourished in unlikely genres such as drama, with Heiberg's speculative comedy, Fata Morgana (1838), and lyric poetry with his New Poems (1841), which included his satirical classic, ""A Soul after Death."" This period also witnessed Hegel's philosophy make inroads in fields such as jurisprudence and art criticism. During these years Hegelianism enjoyed an unprecedented success in Denmark that began to fade as it gradually became perceived as a dangerous trend.

This is the first of a three-volume work dedicated to exploring the influence of G.W.F. Hegel’s philosophical thinking in Golden Age Denmark. The work demonstrates that the largely overlooked tradition of Danish Hegelianism played a profound and indeed constitutive role in many spheres of Golden Age culture. This initial tome covers the period from the beginning of the Hegel reception in the Danish Kingdom in the 1820s until the end of 1836. The dominant figure from this period is the poet and critic Johan Ludvig Heiberg, who attended Hegel’s lectures in Berlin in 1824 and then launched a campaign to popularize Hegel’s philosophy among his fellow countrymen. Using his journal Kjøbenhavns flyvende Post as a platform, Heiberg published numerous articles containing ideas that he had borrowed from Hegel. Several readers felt provoked by Heiberg’s Hegelianism and wrote critical responses to him, many of which appeared in Kjøbenhavnsposten, the rival of Heiberg’s journal. Through these debates Hegel’s philosophy became an important part of Danish cultural life.

This is the second volume in a three-volume work dedicated to exploring the influence of G.W.F. Hegel’s philosophical thinking in Golden Age Denmark. The work demonstrates that the largely overlooked tradition of Danish Hegelianism played a profound and indeed constitutive role in many spheres of the Golden Age culture. This second tome treats the most intensive period in the history of the Danish Hegel reception, namely, the years from 1837 to 1841. The main figure in this period is the theologian Hans Martensen who made Hegel’s philosophy a sensation among the students at the University of Copenhagen in the late 1830s. This period also includes the publication of Johan Ludvig Heiberg’s Hegelian journal, Perseus, and Frederik Christian Sibbern’s monumental review of it, which represented the most extensive treatment of Hegel’s philosophy in the Danish language at the time. During this period Hegel’s philosophy flourished in unlikely genres such as drama and lyric poetry. During these years Hegelianism enjoyed an unprecedented success in Denmark until it gradually began to be perceived as a dangerous trend.

" . . . the most important contribution to Kierkegaard studies to be published in English in recent years. . . . Not only is it a fascinating, surprising, and perceptive study of Kierkegaard within his time and world, Kirmmse has produced a research resource, a reference work, that is simply without parallel or equal." —Michael Plekon "It is a rare work of philosophy that not only clarifies its subject but also places it within an intellectual and historical context. In his study of 19th-century Danish philosopher Kierkegaard, Kirmmse accomplishes both, setting a standard . . . " —Library Journal " . . . an outstanding contribution to Kierkegaard research . . . The book is intellectual history of the highest calibre." —So[slash]ren Kierkegaard Newsletter "This excellent book is recommended for all collections on Kierkegaard . . . For all readers." —Choice "This richly researched and readable book supplies an important contribution to the widespread reappropriation of Kierkegaard's thought currently taking place." —Theology Today "This book is a tour de force in intellectual history." —Review of Metaphysics "Kirmmse's book is a major work of scholarship that confers on Kierkegaard's social and intellectual universe a depth and a richness of detail that will permanently alter the familiar stereotypes about Kierkegaard's isolation from his fellow Danes and his supposedly fanatical campaign against philistine Denmark and its corrupt state church." —American Historical Review Against the background of Denmark's evolution from a mercantile economy to a broad-based agricultural economy, Kirmmse reinterprets Kierkegaard's thought as a reaction to the tensions within his society.

The present tome is the first of a three-volume work dedicated to exploring the profound influence of G.W.F. Hegel's philosophical thinking in Golden Age Denmark. This initial volume covers the period from the beginning of the Hegel reception in the Danish Kingdom from the turn of the century until 1836. While Kierkegaard's polemic with the Danish Hegelians is a well-known part of his philosophical agenda, the actual texts and ideas of these thinkers have received little attention in their own right. The present work demonstrates that this largely overlooked tradition of Hegel reception played a profound and indeed constitutive role in many aspects of Golden Age culture: philosophy, theoloy, literature, poetry, law, journalism, and the arts. Moreover, it brought into its orbit most of the main figures from the period.