Estetik Varoluş ve Umutsuzluk: Le Feu follet
Aesthetic Existence and Despair: Le Feu follet

Summary/Abstract: Aesthetic existence and despair are the basic concepts of Soren Kierkegaard's philosophy. Kierkegaard gives place to the concept of despair in his texts entitled Sickness Unto Death and the concept of aesthetic existence in his texts entitled Either/Or. Kierkegaard associates these two interrelated concepts with the daily life and self of the person. Kierkegaard defines despair in the context of the alienated person. The philosopher argues that the person in the aesthetic stage of existence is hopeless, avoiding responsibility and spending his life in a pursuit of pleasure and entertainment. The aim of this study is to analyze the film The Fire Within (Le Feu follet, Louis Malle, 1963) in the context of Soren Kierkegaard's concepts of aesthetic existence and despair. For this purpose, this study initially reveals, Kierkegaard's concepts of aesthetic existence and despair. Then, the film is analyzed with thematic analysis method. As a result of the analysis, it observed that the main character of the film is an esthete who consumes a significant part of his life in a pursuit of pleasure and entertainment. The study concludes that the main character of the film is alienated from his own self and therefore he is in a despair situation.

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