Søren Aabye Kierkegaard has been the subject of sharply rising scholarly interest since the mid-twentieth century. In addition to several important works devoted to reexamining Kierkegaard's relation to G. W. F. Hegel, and numerous specialized treatments of key themes and problems in the authorship, newer studies have explored the significance of Kierkegaard's thought from literary, political, and historical viewpoints.

Niels Thulstrup (1967) traces the development of Kierkegaard's critical engagement with Hegel from 1835 to the conclusion of the pseudonymous authorship in 1846. Thulstrup carefully delineates the main sources of Kierkegaard's knowledge of Hegelian philosophy. This is an invaluable service, considering that much of what Kierkegaard knew about the German philosopher was actually gleaned from secondary sources. Of special interest are the Danish Hegelians, Johan Ludvig Heiberg and Hans Lassen Martensen, and the anti-Hegelians, Frederik Christian Sibbern and Poul...