{"product_id":"kierkegaard-mimesis-and-modernity-a-critical-wojciech","title":"Kierkegaard, Mimesis, and Modernity - A Critical Wojciech","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn this review of Kierkegaard, Mimesis, and Modernity the reviewer finds a careful, scholarly intervention best suited to readers who want to reassess Kierkegaard beyond familiar religious readings. Wojciech Kaftanski's book reframes \u003cstrong\u003emimesis\u003c\/strong\u003e as a central interpretive knot in Kierkegaard's thought, and the single biggest reason to read it is its sustained linking of aesthetic categories with religious themes in a way that clarifies how imitation, repetition, and emergent concepts like affectivity and crowd behavior shape modern subjectivity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eKey Features\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFocused thesis:\u003c\/strong\u003e The book offers a sustained argument that \u003cstrong\u003emimesis\u003c\/strong\u003e is a crucial conceptual reference for reading Kierkegaard, helping readers reconceive familiar texts.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAesthetic-religious integration:\u003c\/strong\u003e Kaftanski traces how aesthetic categories such as imitation and repetition interlace with religious concerns, making abstract connections concrete for readers.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eContemporary relevance:\u003c\/strong\u003e The analysis links Kierkegaard's ideas to modern issues of affectivity, contagion, and crowd behavior, showing why his thought matters for our era.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDialectical-existential approach:\u003c\/strong\u003e The author deploys a dialectical-existential reading that clarifies tensions between individual reflection and social imitation.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNuanced reading of core concepts:\u003c\/strong\u003e Familiar Kierkegaardian notions like imitation, repetition, and admiration are reconsidered rather than restated, offering new interpretive purchase.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWho It's For\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book is aimed at graduate students, scholars, and serious readers of philosophy and theology who want a targeted, interpretive study connecting \u003cstrong\u003eKierkegaard\u003c\/strong\u003e to broader debates about mimesis and modernity. It will appeal to those who value conceptual nuance and cross-disciplinary links between aesthetics and religion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eReaders looking for an introductory primer on Kierkegaard or a popular biography should look elsewhere, as Kaftanski assumes prior familiarity with Kierkegaardian vocabulary and the history of nineteenth-century philosophy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003ePros \u0026amp; Cons\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePros\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProvides a compelling reinterpretation of Kierkegaard by centering \u003cstrong\u003emimesis\u003c\/strong\u003e within his work.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMakes clear connections between aesthetic concepts and religious themes that illuminate modern concerns.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEngages newer notions such as affectivity and crowd behavior, expanding the book's contemporary reach.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCons\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe argument presumes familiarity with Kierkegaard and specialized terminology, which may limit accessibility for general readers.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eSpecifications\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTitle\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eKierkegaard, Mimesis, and Modernity\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSeries\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eRoutledge Studies in Nineteenth-Century Philosophy\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eAuthor\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWojciech Kaftanski\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMain themes\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMimesis, aesthetics, religion, repetition, crowd behavior\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eApproach\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDialectical-existential reading\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eIntended audience\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eScholars, graduate students, serious readers of philosophy\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eOur Verdict\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKaftanski's book is a thought-provoking, well-argued study that repays careful reading for anyone engaged with Kierkegaard, aesthetics, or modern social theory. While not introductory, it offers strong value to specialists because it reorients familiar concepts toward contemporary problems of affect and imitation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eFrequently Asked Questions\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoes this book treat Kierkegaard as primarily religious?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe review notes that Kaftanski challenges that view and instead presents a reading where religious and aesthetic themes are entwined.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs prior knowledge of Kierkegaard required?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYes; the book assumes familiarity with Kierkegaardian concepts and works, so newcomers may struggle with some passages.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoes the book address modern relevance?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYes; it explicitly connects Kierkegaard's ideas to contemporary issues like affectivity, contagion, and crowd behavior.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wojciech Kaftanski","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48252097626331,"sku":"0367695596","price":192.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0724\/1043\/1707\/files\/71hxQSzoNPL._SL1200.jpg?v=1770902233","url":"https:\/\/gearmusthave.com\/products\/kierkegaard-mimesis-and-modernity-a-critical-wojciech","provider":"GearMustHave","version":"1.0","type":"link"}