The Danish Golden Age of the first half of the nineteenth century endured in the midst of a number of different kinds of crisis — political, economic, and cultural. The many changes of the period made it a dynamic time, one in which artists, poets, philosophers, and religious thinkers were constantly reassessing their place in society. This book traces the different aspects of the cultural crisis of the period through a series of case studies of key figures, including Johan Ludvig Heiberg, Hans Lassen Martensen, and Søren Kierkegaard. Far from just a historical analysis, however, the book shows that many of the key questions that Danish society wrestled with during the Golden Age remain strikingly familiar today. Jon Stewart is associate professor at the Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre at the University of Copenhagen.

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.

"... 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.

Introduction -- Uncoupling Danish national identity from Lutheranism : the advent of religious difference in Denmark -- A tale of two Kierkegaards : responses to Mormonism by Denmark's cultural elites -- Mormons, Mormons! : provocative portrayals of Mormonism in Danish popular culture -- The price of conversion : cultural identity negotiations among early Danish Mormons -- Conclusion.

A COMPANION TO KIERKEGAARD “‘Companions’ to important thinkers help readers focus on the main drift of their texts with the help of a dig into their origin and some account of their reception. This one digs deeper, and over a wider terrain, than most. But it does more. Besides guiding us to the staples of theology and philosophy in Kierkegaard’s background, it also looks forward to a future, as if Kierkegaard, too, might be taken by the arm and told that here was something that should interest him (about politics, social life, psychology, education, literary theory, deconstruction, theatre). It is as much a sign of the extraordinary richness of Kierkegaard’s literary palette as of the now wide currency of his thought that its elements can become topics in their own right, with Kierkegaard their inspiration. Jon Stewart and his authors are to be congratulated for bringing this unique thinker into our living presence on such a scale and with so many things to talk about.” Alastair Hannay, Professor Emeritus, University of Oslo Born in Copenhagen in 1813, Søren Kierkegaard produced a remarkable amount of work during his fairly short life. When he died in 1855 he left behind a complex and interdisciplinary legacy that continues to spark academic debate. Edited by one of the world’s leading Kierkegaard scholars, A Companion to Kierkegaard provides the most comprehensive single-volume overview of Kierkegaard studies currently available. Featuring contributions from an international array of scholars, the collection covers all the major topics within the broad field of Kierkegaard research, including philosophy, theology, aesthetics, art, literary theory, social sciences, and politics. Kierkegaard’s contribution to each of these disciplines is illustrated through examination of the sources he drew upon, the reception of his ideas, and the unique conceptual insights he brought to each topic. A Companion to Kierkegaard demystifies the complex field of Kierkegaard studies providing the ideal entry-point into his writing for readers at all levels. This collection will be an essential tool for students and scholars from across the disciplines who are interested in learning more about this important and influential thinker.

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.

"This broad, interdisciplinary work explores the little recognized contributions of women to the cultural life of the Danish Golden Age. Featuring chapters on the novelist Thomasine Gyllembourg, the actress Johanne Luise Heiberg and the feminist writer Mathilde Fibiger, this text spans three generations of women from the early to the late Golden Age and indeed beyond. Further it treats the notions about what was considered the proper role of women in Danish society at the time, including the views of male authors such as Søren Kierkegaard and Hans Lassen Martensen. This work provides a fascinating panorama of personalities, literary texts, theater performances, art works and social-political debates, which collectively give the reader a rich appreciation of the importance of women for the age."--Publisher's website.