“The Truth in the Mouth of a Hypocrite.” Dramatic Irony, Humor and Traces of Johann Georg Hamann in Søren Kierkegaard’s Approach to the Paradox of Christianity in Philosophical Fragments

Abstract This article explores the role of irony, humor and intertextual dialogue with Hamann in Kierkegaard’s approach to the Christian paradox in Philosophical Fragments . What kind of irony characterizes the dialogue between the offended understanding and the paradox in “Offense at the Paradox (An Acoustical Illusion)” in Philosophical Fragments ? I argue that the theological and philosophical significance of the paradox is brought out through the paradoxical form of dramatic irony, and I explore how this relates to Hamann. To shed further light on the traces of Hamann, I examine also Kierkegaard’s comments on Hamann, “the greatest humorist,” in journal entries and other writings.