Jupiviv,
KJ: When he speaks of her, it is not her objectively, the biological organism with a personal history "out there in the world", etc., but rather what she means for him, as a psychological phenomenon used in his meditations.
J: Why did a young, fertile woman mean that to him as opposed to, say, a road apple? Obviously there was a biological reason for his loving her.
I think this might be coming out of your own struggles. You write:
Evolution has ensured that humans feel a deep urge to copulate. It's impossible, in my opinion, to get rid of that urge in a single human lifetime,
More on that further below.
There were biological reasons for Kierkegaard being attracted to a young, nubile female like Regina, you say. But considering he was (and is) an unsurpassed master of pseudonymity, that is, of dialectical reasoning, your straightforward, literal interpretation of his behaviour is highly unlikely.
Take these elements into consideration:
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The Banquet. Have you read the speech by the "young man"? As Kierkegaard describes that himself: "he gives a talk in which he proves that erotic love, physical desire, is the most ludicrous of all (its frightful consequences — getting children, plus the fact that a person deceives himself in this lust and merely serves existence)."
- If Regina was merely "nubile", and a purely biological reason the main driver, why wasn't his journal
chockas with other such attractions --- all women being the same in this respect.
- 1839 entry into diary, clearly showing his love for Regina - that is, his love of erotic love - was
symbolic of a cohesion and repair of his fragmentary purpose and personality:
"You blind god of erotic love! You who see in secret, will you disclose it to me? Will I find what I am seeking here in this world,
will I experience the conclusion of all my life's eccentric premises, will I fold you in my arms, or:
Do the Orders say: March on?"
- As a young scholar, he was already studying
eroticism. That is, where idealism and psychological attraction to other personalities cross. (Eroticism has relevance to the current flow of this thread, since those who believe non-violence towards animals is an enlightened characteristic are attracted to what they see in animals which specifically reflects themselves, and defend such things because of how they value being treated.) The
"Diary of a Seducer", written largely in reaction to the broken engagement, which was such a public scandal in Copenhagen that he felt obliged to write this self-treacherous work to defame himself and protect Regina's reputation, indicates he well understood how similar women were, biologically, yet the litany of "interesting" females interested the seducer precisely for their different personalities. So it wasn't biological mating that drove the seducer, but eroticism (the psychological).
- Yet Kierkegaard was so far elevated beyond sheer animal libido that he despised chasing after females purely because of the "interesting" personality! As Judge Apham, he wrote a letter to the seducer on "
The Aesthetic Validity of Marriage", which was published in the same work as the "
Diary of a Seducer". This was coming hot on the heels of his rejection of Regina. In it, he explains the moral degradation of seeking variants of "the interesting"; one can easily read "seduction" and "marriage" as --- to put it in Buddhist terms --- metaphors for samsara and nirvana, respectively, since the context of marriage for Kierkegaard was invariably metaphorical for the relationship to God.
-
Frequent use of the character of a virtuous, innocent, spirited, adoring female lover in his published works. His authorship was that of a concept auditor, constantly critiquing human beliefs and culture for various errors. The motif was used to illustrate an abstract notion in a way his readers could relate to more easily; a poetic motif expressing noble qualities to contrast with ugly, mindless attitudes like lecherous old men, snivelling back-biting aristocrats, petty-minded dog-like rabble on the streets, and so forth --- very much like objects of moral tales in Jesus' parables.
"She" was an emblem of the innocent and trusting lover of God, not motivated by a contract of responsibility or any other reasons, but by love.
Take these many quotes as examples of the metaphor of the innocent lover, from works written in the five years before and after the "divorce"; these examples also show his concern to use the metaphor correctly in
maieutic sense:
On the master thief (1834) - a metaphor for the spiritual man in conflict with the human species:
"His girl walks by his side like a guardian angel and helps him in his troubles while the authorities are in pursuit to capture him, and the populace, on the other hand, regards him suspiciously as one who is, after all, a thief, although perhaps an inner voice sometimes speaks in his defense, and at the same time he finds no encouragement and comfort among the other thieves since they are far inferior to him and are dominated by viciousness. The only possible association he can have with them is solely for the purpose of using them to achieve his aims; otherwise he must despise them."
On a walk to Sortebro:
"From this spot I have seen the sea rippled by a soft breeze, seen it play with pebbles; from here I have seen its surface transformed into a massive snow cloud and heard the low bass of the storm begin to sing falsetto; here I have seen, so to speak, the emergence of the world and its destruction — a sight that truly calls for silence. But what is the meaning of this expression, which is so often profaned? How often do we not meet sentimental blondes who, like nymphs in white gowns, with armed eyes* watch such phenomena in order to break out in "silent admiration"? How different from the wholesome, exuberant natural girl who watches such things in manifest innocence. Furthermore, she remains silent and like the Virgin Mary of old hides it deep in her heart. [ *Something Gynther said on a different occasion holds true of them: "People who come with armed eyes but also with armed hearts."] "
1835: "There is also a proverb which says: "One hears the truth from children and the insane." Here it is certainly not a question of having truth according to premises and conclusions, but how often have not the words of a child or an insane person thundered at the man who would not listen to an intellectual genius?"
1837: "But then shouldn't one tell stories? Certainly, mythology and good fairy stories are what the child needs. Or the child is allowed to read them himself and tell them and is then Socratically corrected (gradually correcting by questioning in such a manner that the child is by no means set straight under the coercion of a tutor but seems rather to be correcting others — and anyone who otherwise understands how to handle children will certainly not be in danger of encouraging arrogance). But above all let this be impromptu, not at a set time and place; children should experience early in life that happiness is a fortunate constellation which one should enjoy with gratitude but also know how to discontinue in good time; and above all one should not forget the point of the story. "
1837: "One sets out to find the blue bird, just like the Crown Princess who lets someone else take care of the kingdom while she goes to look for her unhappy lover. What infinite sorrow is implied in her wandering about dressed as a peasant girl and saying to the old woman she meets: "Ich bin nicht allein, meine gute mutter; ich habe ein grosses Gefolge bei mir von Kummer, Sorgen, und Leiden." "
1839: "The other day I heard a conversation between some farm girls and farm lads. One of the fellows, the kind commonly called a ladies' man, asked a very beautiful girl with a strong mark of mysteriousness about her, which Goethe discusses in his römische Elegien: Do you have a sweetheart? — to which she replied. No. Whereupon he answered: "Well, then, you are also a bad girl." "
But I haven't days to waste collecting similar quotes, of which there are countless. I'll wrap up with just one more:
"My eyes rested at times on the pair of lovers looking for a remote spot in the gardens down a narrow path in order to get away from the noise and find themselves, and at times I discovered the opposite, the more distant sailors, as it were, who from far away sought the crowd in order to lose themselves in the crowd."
Buoni viaggietti.