Kierkegaard's aesthetics and the aesthetic of imitation

Journal article


Kaftanski, Wojciech. (2014). Kierkegaard's aesthetics and the aesthetic of imitation. Kierkegaard Studies. 9(1), pp. 111 - 133. https://doi.org/10.1515/kierke-2014-0105
AuthorsKaftanski, Wojciech
Abstract

This paper challenges the general approach to Kierkegaard’s engagement with imitation, which privileges a strictly religious reading. Heretofore imitation has been apprehended as a coherent concept shaped within the context of imitatio Christi in the devotio moderna. I locate Kierkegaard’s writings in the broader context of mimesis. Analyzing particular mimetic structures woven into the text, I show that a plurality of imitative models that are different from Christ occurs therein. Addressing the distinction between the religious and the aesthetic in Kierkegaard, I inquire into the status of these imitative models. Referring to the term “Mellembestemmelserne” and “ekphrasis”-the rhetorical device of aesthetics-I show that the other models of imitation exhibit supportive roles to the highest type of prototype (Christ) and therefore question the solely religious rendering of mimesis and the aesthetic confines of Kierkegaard’s concept of aesthetics.

Year2014
JournalKierkegaard Studies
Journal citation9 (1), pp. 111 - 133
PublisherWalter de Gruyter GmbH
ISSN1430-5372
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1515/kierke-2014-0105
Scopus EID2-s2.0-84907862035
Page range111 - 133
Research GroupSchool of Philosophy
Place of publicationGermany
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https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/item/87z91/kierkegaard-s-aesthetics-and-the-aesthetic-of-imitation

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