ABSTRACT
Kierkegaard’s Either/Or showcases two competing life views: a life of aesthetic pleasure on the one hand, and a life of ethical commitment on the other. Each view is represented by a pseudonym and the “papers” of the pseudonyms are juxtaposed in two parts. Part One features an anonymous aesthetic character referred to simply as “A.” While A plays a key role in defining the general features of Kierkegaard’s “aesthetic stage,” his importance lies less in outlining the boundaries of aestheticism than in presenting the view in its full force. Far from being a clumsy pseudonymous front, A’s aestheticism is meant to represent a serious challenge to any would-be defender of the ethical life, not the least his pseudonymous counterpart “Judge William.”
