Abstract

One of the most complex and, at the same time, most important philosophical categories in Kierkegaard’s thought is that of “repetition”. To this notion Kierkegaard devotes one of his first pseudonymous works, namely, Repetition, by Constantin Constantius. This paper, firstly, explores the concept of “desperate and failed repetition” that plays an important role in Kierkegaardian irony. Secondly, it shows some parallel aspects found in Repetition and in Goethe’s novel, The Sorrows of Young Werther; this connection allows for a better understanding of both works regarding despair linked to a failed repetition.