Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) wrote on a wide variety of themes and is remembered for his philosophy which was influential in the development of 20th-century existentialism. He used this review as a critique of his society and age, while ostensibly commenting on the work of a contemporary novelist. "Two Ages", the novel under review, tells the story of a family whose fortunes span the immediate post-Revolutionary Age, a period characterized by honour, loyalty and passion, and the advent of Modernity, where a rational dull conformity prevails. Kierkegaard used this review to present an analysis of his own society, in which identities were being lost and ideals displaced by all-consuming envy. He foresaw that the outcome of this process would be to confront people with a stark choice between an empty existence and devotion to God.

Author Biography

Danish-born S ren Kierkegaard (1813-55) wrote on a wide variety of themes, including religion, psychology, and literature. He is remembered for his philosophy which was influential in the development of 20th century existentialism. Alastair Hannay is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Oslo. He is co-editor of the Cambridge Companion to Kierkegaard and has translated Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling, The Sickness unto Death, Either/ Or, and Papers and Journals for Penguin Classics.