Summerbook #16: Parables of Kierkegaard

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 Parables of Kierkegaard, ed. Thomas C. Oden

I wasn't sure what to expect from this collction, but given the general intimidatingness of Kierkegaard, I figured I could deal with some parables.  I did actually read Either/Or in college, with particular focus on "Diary of a Seducer," but that was long long ago!

What this turned out to be is a collection of parable-like stories gathered from the complete works of Kierkegaard.  Perhaps it's a few sentences of anecdote, perhaps it's a long excerpt on the experiences of a particular character known in 1830s. Christianshavn.  And, each little story comes with a moral quesion that the editor inserted to clarify what Kierkegaard was getting at.  I'm not sure it helped; to my mind it mostly gave an appearance of purpose more than there was, in fact, purpose.

But it was a nice and fairly interesting thing to read.

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