Either/or: A Fragment of Life (Penguin Classics)

Rating:
Summary: ABRIDGED (abridged)
Review: K./Eremita/... is certainly an amazing and entertaining philosopher, and one should either read everything of his or nothing, I was surprised that the book is not listed as ABRIDGED. The first (and most popular) book is less badly cut, and I'm sure all of the excisions improve the book, if you're serious about K., you might find this a problem. E/O is a two volume work-- good luck finding them, though.

Rating:
Summary: lighter translation
Review: there is a countervailing advantage this edition offers against the princeton volumes even though its abridged... this is a lighter and smoother English translation. English is not my native language, but I believe many American readers would find the Hong translations as tough-going as I did (even if meticulous). Kierkegaard is already very wordy so this translation is a pain reducer.

Rating:
Summary: In the beginning there was either/or
Review: This is Kierkegaard's first work, and contains already major themes which will be part of his oeuvre throughout. The choice between the aesthetic life represented in the first part and the moral life defended in the second is one such theme. So is the masking of his own identity, the division of himself into a multiplicity of names and identities behind which the true identity is a question. The story of the seduction, however ironically transmitted here is some variety of that fundamental story of Kierkegaard's life his engagement to Regina Olson which he broke because as he later said ' he lacked true faith'. And this perhaps also a cover for the ' thorn in the flesh' that limitation which is central to Kierkegaard' life of abstinence, and perhaps relates to his physical condition , or perhaps to his relation to his father. The aesthetic, the moral phases and what for Kierkegaard is beyond either/or the transcendent phase of the religious is also in this work in the question of who is the ' true Christian'. All of these themes are presented in the multipled- voice ironic humorous suggestive prose of a great imaginative writer and thinker . This is the first masterpiece of many to come, and the opening of the career of the one who would be the ' only Christian in Christendom'.
For the religious Jewish reader like myself aside from the difficulty and pleasure in trying to make something of the depth of Kierkegaard's thought there is the message of the lone creative individual more individual than other individuals in realizing himself in a kind of philosophical literature only Kafka and Neitzche and Pascal are perhaps the true equals of.

Rating:
Summary: Are You Already Seduced?
Review: When you are a young, attractive, seventeen year-old girl, you are the perfect bait for Johannes. Johannes falls in love with Cordelia. At first, his feelings are rather 'normal' - others who fall in love would most likely feel similarly towards their beloved. However, there comes a point when Johannes is unable to control his feelings - his 'crush' becomes an obsession. He is in search of a drama, and strives to be the director of his own play. He invades Cordelia's privacy by spying on her, and befriending her aunt. Johannes even attempts to bring in a third party candidate to win Cordelia's heart - an attractive young man named Edvard. Johannes succeeds. He is a master of manipulation. When Johannes' plan begins to backfire, Edvard is getting too close to Cordelia's heart for Johannes' comfort, he does the unimaginable - he proposes marriage to her! Cordelia refers him to her aunt, who is delighted because of the admiration she has for Johannes. Perhaps she wished him for herself? Nevertheless, Edvard is crushed. Johannes has no mercy, he finds Edvard's despair as humorous as the concept of engagement itself. This is where the story reaches its climax, and plummets from that of a romantic comedy to a devastating tragedy. Johannes' plan is to have Cordelia call off the engagement. However, he will not do this right away. Oh no! He must get her to her erotic peak, he must posses her soul, her self, before he will crush her. The seduction is referred to as several different things throughout the story. My personal favorite: "The web into which she is spun." Johannes and Cordelia begin a letter correspondence that is filled with symbolism and foreshadow. Cordelia signs her letter "Your Cordelia," and Johannes begins his with "My Cordelia." It is clear that he wants to posses her, and perhaps she is too innocent to know otherwise. I suppose that it would be fair to say that she basically hands herself over to him in writing. At the height of their romance, Johannes consciously destroys her. He retuns the letters that she has composed to him unopened. She may be young, a beginner in love, but she is not unwise. She realizes that she has lost herself to him; he has won the battle. Kierkegaard wrote his book "Either/Or" using his real name, Soren Kierkegaard. However, the section entitled "The Seducer's Diary," was written as by a pseudonymous author: Johannes. Perhaps this was a form of indirect communication for Kierkegaard. It makes perfect sense, for "The Seducer's Diary" is based on Kierkegaard's own romance with Miss Regina Olsen. However, this is where the concept of irony steps into the story. In real life, it was not Regina who broke off the engagement, but rather Kierkegaard himself! Perhaps writing the piece pseudonymously was a way for Kierkegaard to control a situation he ultimately never had control over - it was his way of directing his own play. Why did he need to do this? Simple: Indeed Johannes won his battle, but in a sense he has also lost it. Kierkegaard went to his grave still lovesick. He later admitted, "If I had faith, I would have remained with Regina." Kierkegaard had a tendency to contradict himself. He was a spiritual individual who preached faith, yet his comment above suggests otherwise. He also states several times in the story that he is in love, but his love is completely selfish. However, he later retracts this thought. To avoid boredom, the aesthetic Kierkegaard prescribes the "Rotation Method," which allows one to create their own world of pleasure. You fall in love not with the woman, but rather with the IDEA of the woman. Therefore, you don't risk loss. Kierkegaard explored 'fear' throughout a number of his works, and even went as far as to offer advice on how to overcome it. Therefore, it is ironic that he was a coward in terms of love. Nevertheless, the pseudonym, the irony, and contradiction enhance the story. For whatever impact my intellectual arrogance might have, "The Seducer's Diary" is a masterpiece. It is an eloquently written love story that doesn't involve love. "The Seducer's Diary" is a guide to any young girl who is on the brink of womanhood, or any person who is in search of their own self. It teaches us that one can't help losing their soul in love, but can help losing themselves. This was apparent in Kierkegaard's lifetime, and is still relevant today. Reading Kierkegaard is a pleasure. The reader becomes spun into the "web" of Kierkegaard's life, and afterward discovers something curious about their own existence.

Rating:
Summary: Are You Already Seduced?
Review: When you are a young, attractive, seventeen year-old girl, you are the perfect bait for Johannes. Johannes falls in love with Cordelia. At first, his feelings are rather 'normal' - others who fall in love would most likely feel similarly towards their beloved. However, there comes a point when Johannes is unable to control his feelings - his 'crush' becomes an obsession. He is in search of a drama, and strives to be the director of his own play. He invades Cordelia's privacy by spying on her, and befriending her aunt. Johannes even attempts to bring in a third party candidate to win Cordelia's heart - an attractive young man named Edvard. Johannes succeeds. He is a master of manipulation. When Johannes' plan begins to backfire, Edvard is getting too close to Cordelia's heart for Johannes' comfort, he does the unimaginable - he proposes marriage to her! Cordelia refers him to her aunt, who is delighted because of the admiration she has for Johannes. Perhaps she wished him for herself? Nevertheless, Edvard is crushed. Johannes has no mercy, he finds Edvard's despair as humorous as the concept of engagement itself. This is where the story reaches its climax, and plummets from that of a romantic comedy to a devastating tragedy. Johannes' plan is to have Cordelia call off the engagement. However, he will not do this right away. Oh no! He must get her to her erotic peak, he must posses her soul, her self, before he will crush her. The seduction is referred to as several different things throughout the story. My personal favorite: "The web into which she is spun." Johannes and Cordelia begin a letter correspondence that is filled with symbolism and foreshadow. Cordelia signs her letter "Your Cordelia," and Johannes begins his with "My Cordelia." It is clear that he wants to posses her, and perhaps she is too innocent to know otherwise. I suppose that it would be fair to say that she basically hands herself over to him in writing. At the height of their romance, Johannes consciously destroys her. He retuns the letters that she has composed to him unopened. She may be young, a beginner in love, but she is not unwise. She realizes that she has lost herself to him; he has won the battle. Kierkegaard wrote his book "Either/Or" using his real name, Soren Kierkegaard. However, the section entitled "The Seducer's Diary," was written as by a pseudonymous author: Johannes. Perhaps this was a form of indirect communication for Kierkegaard. It makes perfect sense, for "The Seducer's Diary" is based on Kierkegaard's own romance with Miss Regina Olsen. However, this is where the concept of irony steps into the story. In real life, it was not Regina who broke off the engagement, but rather Kierkegaard himself! Perhaps writing the piece pseudonymously was a way for Kierkegaard to control a situation he ultimately never had control over - it was his way of directing his own play. Why did he need to do this? Simple: Indeed Johannes won his battle, but in a sense he has also lost it. Kierkegaard went to his grave still lovesick. He later admitted, "If I had faith, I would have remained with Regina." Kierkegaard had a tendency to contradict himself. He was a spiritual individual who preached faith, yet his comment above suggests otherwise. He also states several times in the story that he is in love, but his love is completely selfish. However, he later retracts this thought. To avoid boredom, the aesthetic Kierkegaard prescribes the "Rotation Method," which allows one to create their own world of pleasure. You fall in love not with the woman, but rather with the IDEA of the woman. Therefore, you don't risk loss. Kierkegaard explored 'fear' throughout a number of his works, and even went as far as to offer advice on how to overcome it. Therefore, it is ironic that he was a coward in terms of love. Nevertheless, the pseudonym, the irony, and contradiction enhance the story. For whatever impact my intellectual arrogance might have, "The Seducer's Diary" is a masterpiece. It is an eloquently written love story that doesn't involve love. "The Seducer's Diary" is a guide to any young girl who is on the brink of womanhood, or any person who is in search of their own self. It teaches us that one can't help losing their soul in love, but can help losing themselves. This was apparent in Kierkegaard's lifetime, and is still relevant today. Reading Kierkegaard is a pleasure. The reader becomes spun into the "web" of Kierkegaard's life, and afterward discovers something curious about their own existence.