A Literary Review - Classic Text | Alexandria
A Literary Review (En literær Anmeldelse), published in 1846 by Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard under the pseudonym Johannes de Silentio, stands as a pivotal critique of modernity and its impact on human existence. This remarkable text, ostensibly a review of the novel "Two Ages" by Thomasine Gyllembourg, transcends its initial framework to become a profound analysis of the modern age and its spiritual malaise.
Written during Copenhagen's tumultuous period of social and political reform, A Literary Review emerged from Kierkegaard's growing concern with what he perceived as the leveling tendencies of his era. The work presents itself at first as a simple literary review but unfolds into a sophisticated critique of mass society, public opinion, and the press—themes that would prove remarkably prescient in anticipating the challenges of contemporary society.
The text's evolution from a modest review to a philosophical masterwork reflects Kierkegaard's characteristic method of indirect communication. Through his analysis of Gyllembourg's novel, which contrasts the French Revolutionary period with his own time, Kierkegaard develops his critique of what he terms "the present age"—an era characterized by reflection, passionlessness, and leveling. His observations about the press's role in creating artificial public opinion and the modern tendency toward abstraction and detachment from individual responsibility continue to resonate with striking relevance.
The work's enduring legacy lies in its prophetic insight into the challenges of modern democracy and mass society. Kierkegaard's analysis of how the "public" becomes an abstract entity that both everyone and no one belongs to has influenced subsequent thinkers from Martin Heidegger to Jean-Paul Sartre. Modern scholars continue to find fresh relevance in his critique of social media's effect on authentic communication and individual responsibility. The text raises an enduring question that becomes increasingly pertinent: How can authentic individuality survive in an age of mass communication and social leveling?
This work remains a testament to Kierkegaard's unique ability to diagnose the spiritual and social conditions of modernity while anticipating future developments in social theory and cultural criticism.