Kierkegaard and the Staging of Desire

Rhetoric and Performance in a Theology of Eros

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Theology, Entertainment, Performing Arts, Christianity
Cover of the book Kierkegaard and the Staging of Desire by Carl S. Hughes, Fordham University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Carl S. Hughes ISBN: 9780823257270
Publisher: Fordham University Press Publication: July 2, 2014
Imprint: Fordham University Press Language: English
Author: Carl S. Hughes
ISBN: 9780823257270
Publisher: Fordham University Press
Publication: July 2, 2014
Imprint: Fordham University Press
Language: English

Theology in the modern era often assumes that the consummate form of theological discourse is objective prose—ignoring or condemning apophatic traditions and the spiritual eros that drives them. For too long, Kierkegaard has been read along these lines as a progenitor of twentieth-century neo-orthodoxy and a stern critic of the erotic in all its forms. In contrast, Hughes argues that Kierkegaard envisions faith fundamentally as a form of infinite, insatiable eros. He depicts the essential purpose of Kierkegaard’s writing as to elicit ever-greater spiritual desire, not to provide the satisfactions of doctrine or knowledge.

Hughes’s argument revolves around close readings of provocative, disparate, and (in many cases) little-known Kierkegaardian texts. The thread connecting all of these texts is that they each conjure up some sort of performative “stage setting,” which they invite readers to enter. By analyzing the theological function of these texts, the book sheds new light on the role of the aesthetic in Kierkegaard’s authorship, his surprising affinity for liturgy and sacrament, and his overarching effort to conjoin eros for God with this-worldly love.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Theology in the modern era often assumes that the consummate form of theological discourse is objective prose—ignoring or condemning apophatic traditions and the spiritual eros that drives them. For too long, Kierkegaard has been read along these lines as a progenitor of twentieth-century neo-orthodoxy and a stern critic of the erotic in all its forms. In contrast, Hughes argues that Kierkegaard envisions faith fundamentally as a form of infinite, insatiable eros. He depicts the essential purpose of Kierkegaard’s writing as to elicit ever-greater spiritual desire, not to provide the satisfactions of doctrine or knowledge.

Hughes’s argument revolves around close readings of provocative, disparate, and (in many cases) little-known Kierkegaardian texts. The thread connecting all of these texts is that they each conjure up some sort of performative “stage setting,” which they invite readers to enter. By analyzing the theological function of these texts, the book sheds new light on the role of the aesthetic in Kierkegaard’s authorship, his surprising affinity for liturgy and sacrament, and his overarching effort to conjoin eros for God with this-worldly love.

More books from Fordham University Press

Cover of the book Medieval Education by Carl S. Hughes
Cover of the book The Blind Man by Carl S. Hughes
Cover of the book Latinx Literature Unbound by Carl S. Hughes
Cover of the book Deserter Country by Carl S. Hughes
Cover of the book Before the Fires by Carl S. Hughes
Cover of the book The Creative Retrieval of Saint Thomas Aquinas by Carl S. Hughes
Cover of the book Teaching Bodies by Carl S. Hughes
Cover of the book Giorgio Agamben by Carl S. Hughes
Cover of the book Gazing Through a Prism Darkly by Carl S. Hughes
Cover of the book Disappointment by Carl S. Hughes
Cover of the book Reading the Allegorical Intertext by Carl S. Hughes
Cover of the book Dancing Jacobins by Carl S. Hughes
Cover of the book Raised by the Church by Carl S. Hughes
Cover of the book The Possibility of a World by Carl S. Hughes
Cover of the book Fugitive Testimony by Carl S. Hughes
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy