Between Mood and Spirit: Kierkegaard’s Conception of Death as the Teacher of Earnestness

Abstract How are we to understand the earnest thought of death as developed in Kierkegaard’s discourse “At a Graveside”? Through a careful examination of this signed writing, I shall argue that readers nevertheless encounter an indirect, un-authorized discourse, which presents the occasion for both a variety of moods and the cultivation of spirit. The thought of death calls forth either a certain negative mood or presents a call to action for the good. However, this distinction is problematic insofar as we consider the textuality of Kierkegaard’s discourse, which leaves existing individuals always caught in between the dialectic of mood and spirit.