Søren Kierkegaard was without question one of the most important and influential thinkers of the nineteenth century. Fear and Trembling is a classic text in the history of both philosophical and religious thought that still challenges readers with its original philosophical perspective and idiosyncratic literary style.
Kierkegaard's 'Fear and Trembling': A Reader's Guide offers a concise and accessible introduction to this hugely important and notoriously demanding work. Written specifically to meet the needs of students coming to Kierkegaard for the first time, the book offers guidance
- Philosophical and historical context - Key themes - Reading the text - Reception and influence - Further reading
Read in conjuction with the 1983 Hong/Hong translation. Very helpful for context: how SK's personal life may have influenced some of the ways he wrote the text, and some clarification of finer points he makes. Also helps define the structure of the original text, which was baffling to me at first. See my blog post at A Just Recompense for further details about the experience of reading the text with a Catherine Project reading group.