Anthony Storm, posits that Kierkegaard means to "draw his reader out of his preconceptions and away from the influence of the then very pervasive Hegelian system." At the time, this was some of the most influential philosophy in existence, and Kierkegaard was undoubtedly annoyed by many of its pretenses.
A and B's papers are clearly meant to represent opposing views on the meaning of life, more as in how to live it. Either/Or, for instance, was published in two volumes amounting to over 800 pages.Įremitus 'claims' to have chanced upon some papers, written by two different authors, whom he calls A and B. Rather, it is thought to be a sort of flippant personal statement by Kierkegaard, reflecting on his tendency to isolate himself in his room like a hermit into the late hours, writing voluminously for several years at amazing speed.
As it is usually interpreted, this psuedonym is not a direct commentary on the work in question (as many of Kierkegaard's chosen pen names clearly are). Either/Or is a work by the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, first published 20 February 1843 under the pseudonym "Victor Eremita," or victorious hermit.