Description
Book SynopsisMiguel de Unamuno was profoundly influenced by Søren Kierkegaard''s pseudonymous works at a time when Kierkegaard was virtually unknown in Southern Europe. This book explores the scope and character of that influence, clarifies misconceptions in the relationship between the authors, and offers an original, Kierkegaardian reading of three of Unamuno''s best known novels: Niebla, San Manuel Bueno, mártir, and Abel Sánchez. Both authors hold a self as achievement view in which the authentic self is seen as the result of the choices one makes over a lifetime. For Kierkegaard, the spheres of existence-the esthetic, the ethical, and the religious-are stages on life''s way to becoming an authentic self before God. Unamuno, however, holds that the same spheres of existence offer equally valid modes of authentic existence as long as one chooses them freely and passionately. This book will be of great interest to scholars of existentialism, Unamuno, and Kierkegaard.
Trade ReviewSupported by archival research on what works by Kierkegaard Unamuno actually read, Jan Evans is the first scholar to take seriously the distinction between Kierkegaard and his pseudonyms in exploring similarities and differences between these two authors on the theme of becoming a self. The result is a fresh and more discerning look at three of Unamuno's most popular novels utilizing Kierkegaard's theory of the stages of existence to show how the Spaniard portrays multiple forms of authentic existence. -- Sylvia Walsh, Stetson University
A fascinating read, Jan Evans' unusual expertise in both authors gives us original insight into the amazing affinities and fundamental divergence between them, as well as into the extent and limits of Unamuno's use of Kierkegaard. Readers at all levels of familiarity with these authors can benefit. -- M. J. Ferreira, University of Virginia
This is the first study of Unamuno and Kierkegaard that focuses attention on the latter's writerly heteronyms, a focus with immense implications for the study of Unamuno's narratives with multiple internal writers, that is, for practically all of his fictional work. The book also corrects many well-traveled misconceptions about what Unamuno read in Kierkegaard and clarifies how Unamuno's major thought diverges—often significantly—from that of the Dane with whom he has been compared. -- Thomas R. Franz, Ohio University
Table of ContentsChapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 The Importance of Indirect Communication Chapter 3 The Formation of the Self in Kierkegaard and Unamuno Chapter 4 Niebla: A Study in Kierkegaard's Esthetic Stage Chapter 5 San Manuel Bueno, Mártit: A Study in the Ethical Life Chapter 6 Abel Sánchez: A Study in the Possibilities for Religious Existence Chapter 7 Conclusion
