Metaphor and Parable

Paul Ricoeur as a Virtual Interpreter of Kierkegaard’s Aesthetic Practice

Abstract

This article discusses Paul Ricoeur’s theory of metaphor and its relationship to parable, following his argumentation in the essay Stellung und Funktion der Metapher in der biblischen Sprache. In a second step, it analyses Søren Kierkegaard’s metaphorological praxis in Frygt og Bæven. The final part examines those aspects of Ricoeur’s theory that are appropriate to understanding Kierkegaard’s metaphorological praxis.