This book investigates the writings of Karen Blixen (Isak Dinesen) from an existentialist angle. Although it has not been subject to much study, Blixen’s writing elegantly and subtly integrates the ideas of Kierkegaard, Nietzsche and Sartre in a way that makes the philosophers more accessible to a wider audience. However, Blixen also offers her own ideas of the fundamental problem in existentialism: how to arrive at an authentic identity through free, individual choices – or, as Nietzsche put it: how to become who you are. On the whole, Blixen’s authorship can be seen as an existential study of the 20th century and the ways by which Western culture came to be what it is now. In agreement with Nietzsche’s statement that all philosophy is an involuntary autobiography, this book also contains accounts of the lives of the three philosophers chiefly involved in this study.
This new study addresses the provocative essays of Karen Blixen (Isak Dinesen), an iconic figure in Scandinavia and the Anglo-American world. Celebrated for her literary tales, Karen Blixen’s essays offer sagacious reflections on three significant challenges of the twentieth century: feminism, Nazism, and colonialism. Karen Blixen (1885–1962) contributed to topical debates in Denmark, particularly during the 1950s when her distinct voice on Danish radio became familiar to a nation of listeners. Some of her lectures, radio addresses, and newspaper chronicles were later published as essays and now constitute a distinct genre within her work. In this study, Blixen’s most important essays are critically examined for the first time. The book demonstrates that a "creative dialectic" informs these essays, an interplay of complementary opposites that Blixen sees as fundamental to human life and artistic creativity. Whether exploring questions of gender and the status of the feminist movement, or the reign of National Socialism in Hitler’s Germany, or colonial race relations under British rule in East Africa, Blixen’s observations are insightful, witty, and surprisingly progressive for an author notable for aristocratic sensibilities. Blixen’s essays are also framed by a "dialectic method," which develops an idea by drawing on opposing viewpoints in order to arrive at an original vantage point. The Creative Dialectic of Karen Blixen's Essays builds on archival research, historical study, literary criticism and theory, as well as bilingual readings of Blixen’s renowned literary work. For the first time in an English translation, Karen Blixen’s essay “Blacks and Whites in Africa” (1938), by award-winning translator Tiina Nunnally, appears in this publication.
There can be no doubt that most of the thinkers who are usually associated with the existentialist tradition, whatever their actual doctrines, were in one way or another influenced by the writings of Kierkegaard. This influence is so great that it can be fairly stated that the existentialist movement was largely responsible for the major advance in Kierkegaard's international reception that took place in the twentieth century. In Kierkegaard's writings one can find a rich array of concepts such as anxiety, despair, freedom, sin, the crowd, and sickness that all came to be standard motifs in existentialist literature. Sartre played an important role in canonizing Kierkegaard as one of the forerunners of existentialism. However, recent scholarship has been attentive to his ideological use of Kierkegaard. Indeed, Sartre seemed to be exploiting Kierkegaard for his own purposes and suspicions of misrepresentation and distortions have led recent commentators to go back and reexamine the complex relation between Kierkegaard and the existentialist thinkers. The articles in the present volume feature figures from the French, German, Spanish and Russian traditions of existentialism. They examine the rich and varied use of Kierkegaard by these later thinkers, and, most importantly, they critically analyze his purported role in this famous intellectual movement.
Existential semiotics involves an a priori state of signs and their fixation into objective entities. These essays define this new philosophical field.
This second volume examines how sexual mores and behavior, religious dogma and practice, and literary creativity and authenticity have influenced and been influenced by the existentialist thought of Kierkegaard, Heidegger, Sartre, Nietzsche, Husserl and Buber, and the writings of Camus, Dostoevsky, Beckett, Shestov, Berdyaev and Tillich. It compares human and cultural attributes with the attributes of pagan and monotheistic Gods, and Buddhist, Gnostic, Christian and Muslim mysticism with Jewish Kabbalah. It explains society’s harsh treatment of Vincent van Gogh and Antonin Artaud, and analyzes the existentialist approach to existence, absurdity, human dialogue, cosmology, and quantum mechanics. It will appeal to students and professionals in fields as diverse as philosophy, psychology, sociology, anthropology, religion, law, art, drama, literature, cosmology and physics.
Autobiographical writings have been a major cultural genre from antiquity to the present time. General questions of the literary as, e.g., the relation between literature and reality, truth and fiction, the dependency of author, narrator, and figure, or issues of individual and cultural styles etc., can be studied preeminently in the autobiographical genre. Yet, the tradition of life-writing has, in the course of literary history, developed manifold types and forms. Especially in the globalized age, where the media and other technological / cultural factors contribute to a rapid transformation of lifestyles, autobiographical writing has maintained, even enhanced, its popularity and importance. By conceiving autobiography in a wide sense that includes memoirs, diaries, self-portraits and autofiction as well as media transformations of the genre, this three-volume handbook offers a comprehensive survey of theoretical approaches, systematic aspects, and historical developments in an international and interdisciplinary perspective. While autobiography is usually considered to be a European tradition, special emphasis is placed on the modes of self-representation in non-Western cultures and on inter- and transcultural perspectives of the genre. The individual contributions are closely interconnected by a system of cross-references. The handbook addresses scholars of cultural and literary studies, students as well as non-academic readers.
Shadows on the Grass, Winter's Tales, Last Tales, Anecdotes of Destiny, and Ehrengard, Brantly explores the clues, details, and subplots in texts that critics often describe as puzzles and labyrinths. Brantly reveals the thought and care that Dinesen devoted to the construction of her stories, her expansive knowledge of world literature, and the great pleasure awaiting readers as they unravel the mysteries embedded in her texts."--BOOK JACKET.
Get ready to take a thrilling journey through the lives of some of the most fascinating people in the world! "Famous People Around The World" is an engrossing read that provides an in-depth look at the lives of various famous personalities, from artists and scientists to musicians and politicians. This book covers all aspects of these people's lives, starting from their early years, upbringing, education, and pivotal experiences that shaped their lives. It explores their fascinating careers, achievements, turning points, and contributions to their respective fields. But that's not all - this book delves deeper into the personal lives of these famous individuals, including their relationships, marriages, hobbies, interests, and even any scandals or controversies they may have been involved in. Moreover, this book also examines the legacies of these influential figures and how they have impacted their industry or society as a whole. You will be amazed at the lasting contributions that these people have made and the ways they are remembered even to this day. As you read through the pages, you will discover the unique qualities and quirks that make these people stand out. You will learn about their personalities, sense of humor, and interesting habits or rituals. But that's not all! The book also includes a few exciting stories about these famous personalities that you probably have never heard before, and to test your knowledge, we have included 10 True or False questions at the end of each chapter that will keep you engaged and curious until the very end. So, whether you are a history buff or just looking for an engaging and educational read, "Famous People Around The World" is the perfect book for you. Get your copy now and embark on a journey through the fascinating lives of some of the most influential people in history!
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